


uneasy lies the crown, steady beats the heart

by prettysky



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Slow Burn, if it's too soft i apologize in advance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 52,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27008014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettysky/pseuds/prettysky
Summary: The great king of Zorelia, Jeremiah Baron Alexander the Second, died two days ago.And now he was buried in the damp ground, right in front of Alex's eyes.*Alex is the princess and the heir to the throne of Zorelia. The neighboring kingdom, Daxia, is planning a war, and Alex has to prepare and protect herself. Her mother insists she will have a close guarding, and so, Alex meets Maggie, her new personal bodyguard.Soon, Alex will find out that there is only one way she could stop Daxia, and that Maggie knows more than she shows. They will have to work together to save the kingdom, and on their way there, find more about themselves.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer
Comments: 34
Kudos: 67
Collections: Sanvers Big Bang | 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> two and a half years ago, an idea came to my mind, and this story was born. i've been through a lot perfecting and working on this and i'm so proud to present you with the full story.
> 
> quick thank you to SBB that made me sit on my ass and finish this story, to susana who was my amazing beta for this story and did a great job in making sure i'm not making a complete fool of myself, and to gabriela who made [ the most incredible piece of art ](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SanversBigBang2020/works/27013585) for this story and for me. these are the people who made this story come to life, and i couldn't be more grateful to have them with me on this journey. 
> 
> hope you all enjoy the ride!  
> sanvers endgame ♡

There was nothing that bothered Alex more than a dress that lay heavily on her shoulders, in the middle of winter, and the way she always began to sweat inside of it, hot and cold meddling together. The dress she was wearing was especially itchy, and annoying, and the collar was too high on her neck. She hated that dress.

Not that it was surprising. She hated all those muslin dresses she had to wear all the time. Each time she returned to her room, she forcibly undressed until they were almost torn, begging for the immediate sense of release. She reached out for the eighth time to scratch her thigh. If her mother had noticed, she would have already scolded her, but Eliza was busy sobbing.

She was supposed to cry now too.

This was her father's funeral, after all.

The great king of Zorelia, Jeremiah Baron Alexander the Second, died two days ago. And now he was buried in the damp ground, right in front of Alex's eyes.

Alex didn’t know why she wasn’t crying. She was an adult, a grownup, twenty years and five months old, to be exact, and the last time she cried was probably in the playroom at the age of five. Alex almost never cried. She got upset, mad, frustrated, sad, but she almost never cried. Especially not in front of so many people. She was sure it was expected of her in this situation, but she didn’t know why she was not crying.

Someone was speaking, paying tribute to her father or saying a prayer, but Alex wasn’t listening. She looked around. Her little sister, Kara, was standing in a dress similar to hers, on the other side of their mother. Seventeen-year-old Kara was definitely a crier. But that wasn’t difficult, Kara cried when Alex killed a spider. Their mother put a hand on Kara's shoulder and they both looked at the carved wooden coffin, wiping their noses in their embroidered cloth handkerchiefs.

Alex stood with both hands behind her back, upright. She, too, looked at the carved coffin now going down, down, and in her ears was a choir singing a hymn she probably knew, but couldn’t recognize. The dress was itchy again, but she tried to resist.

She was supposed to cry. After all, he was her father. The person after whom she was named. A beloved and good king, who saved their kingdom from long years of wars, famine and poverty, the greatest king Zorelia ever had. He led the kingdom for thirty-two years, and now he was buried in the ground, like any simple farmer before him. But he wasn’t just a king, he was her father. And even when he was busy running the kingdom, he always had time to spend time with his daughters, talk, read together, or play chess. Spending time with her father was one of her favorite things.

He and Alex had spent a lot of time together lately, more than usual; she was the heiress to the throne. The previous ruler must guide the next one and prepare them to be a worthy successor. Now that he had passed away, she would have to inherit the throne in seven months, when she’d be turning twenty-one, the youngest age for the monarch by law. The long time they spent in the palace garden, in the study room, in the library, was to prepare and teach Alex to be a queen one day. But she didn’t expect this day to come so quickly.

These thoughts made her feel sourness, and anger, but she still didn’t cry. She didn’t even feel the need to cry. Not now, anyway. All she wanted was her dad back.

A slight drizzle began falling, and immediately umbrellas were spread out all the way, over the heads of dukes, nobles, and dignitaries standing in the front row, and less respectable guests standing behind them. Alex didn’t have to worry about it, there would always be a maid next to her who would serve her food, open doors for her or open an umbrella over her head. Alex looked up through her umbrella to the cloudy sky, wondering when it would be over and she could go back to the palace, to her room, to her warm bed, away from all these people.

She missed her father. All these people, they didn’t know him. Not like she did.

It didn’t look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon. Even the person reciting a eulogy now, some duke that Alex probably knew but didn’t remember his name had a servant holding an umbrella over him while he continued to say good things about her father, how great and good he was, and how he was the only one who managed to lead their kingdom right. She stared at the misty air, wishing it all to be over.

Suddenly, amidst all the greyness, she noticed a yellow flash through all the black dresses and outfits of the crowd, a blurry figure passing among the people. Alex frowned. _Who's wearing yellow to a funeral? And for the king's funeral?_ She followed the figure with her eyes, much less anxious than she was a few minutes ago. The shadow moved behind a body wearing black, but kept moving, appearing and disappearing again and again, until it stood at the end of the line, visible to everyone for a few seconds, away from the crowd in black.

It was a woman. She didn’t wear a dress, like all the other women in the audience, but some kind of a suit in yellow and black colors, made of a strong fabric that was wrapped around her entire body with a belt.  _ It's a training suit, _ Alex thought. _ Like warriors and assassins have. _

_ Assassins? _ Alex's heart skipped a beat and she swallowed. What if this woman was there to commit murder? She looked at her half terrified, half curious, surprised to find that the woman was looking up, and right at Alex.

Alex almost flinched back at the intensity of the gaze, but narrowed her eyes to get a better look.  _ She's letting me see her _ , she thought.  _ Maybe she's not here to commit murder. _

They looked at each other for another moment. The eulogist finished his words and stepped back and suddenly Alex was pulled back by someone, and the whole royal family began to walk back to the palace.

She managed to peek another look at where she stood, but she was no longer there.

_

There was a knock on Alex's door, and without waiting for an answer it opened, only a crack. Alex lay on her bed, covered with a soft, large blanket. She looked at the door, finding Kara standing in the doorway. Alex sighed quietly and then raised the blanket, motioning for her to come in. Thunder shook the window and Kara jumped up and hurried into the room, lying down next to Alex on the large four-poster bed. Alex wrapped her in a hug, sighing.

They lay close together without saying a word, Alex's hand resting on Kara's shoulder, comforting.

"You didn’t cry."

Through the sounds of thunder outside and under the blanket Alex could barely hear the whisper.

"You know I never cry."

Kara was silent for a moment, fiddling with a handkerchief in her hands.

"Not even for him?"

Alex sighed. "No."

They kept silent for a few more moments, Alex's hand moving back and forth on Kara's shoulder.

"Are you sad?"

"Yes, of course I am."

Kara curled up closer to her. "Me too."

_ I know, _ Alex wanted to say, but stopped herself.

"Kara," she said instead, and Kara's blue eyes rose to her, wet.

"We will make it, you and I. We have each other, and we will get through it. We are his legacy."

"You mean you're his legacy."

Alex's mouth turned into a small smile. "If you think I'll be the queen of this kingdom without needing my sister's help, you're greatly mistaken."

Kara gave her a similar smile back, and Alex reached out to wipe her cheek.

"Are you scared?"

Alex thought for a moment.

"Yes." She said, her voice quieter. "But it's good to know there are people behind you."

Kara nodded. Slowly her eyes closed, and she fell asleep, and Alex drifted right after her, both of them staying there together until morning.

_

"Alexandra, there you are," Eliza approached her quickly, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She reached out to arrange Alex's dress and hair. Alex knew there was no force that could stop her mother when she saw something that needed fixing, and she let her finish without resisting. Either way, this dress was awful, there was nothing that could make it worse for her.

"That's it," Eliza finished, reaching out to stroke Alex's cheek. "You look beautiful, my darling."

"Thank you, Mother." A complaint like ‘this dress is heavy’ was not recommended in this situation, so she just smiled and nodded.

Alex loved her mother. She was tough, and insisted on things that Alex could never make sense of, but she was a mother who protected her, and usually gave good advice, and taught Alex useful things. The dresses, the heels, the hair, it was all required at events and ceremonies, and Alex often grumbled to her mother, but she was the queen, and even the princess had to listen to the queen and do as she said. _ When you are the queen _ , she used to tell her,  _ do things your way _ . Alex wondered if her mother hadn’t be appalled at the thought that on the day Alex would become the queen she would wear riding boots and loose cotton shirts everywhere instead of the ceremonial dresses, and her hair would probably be scattered and dirty most of the time, but she didn’t delve too deep into the thought.

They started walking towards the great hall. Another ceremony, in which the king would be eulogized by those close to him in the presence of high nobles, was to be held there. Alex wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the ceremony, but knew her role was to be there nonetheless, as royal as ever. Eliza placed a steady hand on Alex's shoulder, and they walked over to Kara, who was waiting for them at the entrance, her eyes swollen and a handkerchief gripped tightly in her hand. The three of them stood at the entrance to the hall, which was already full, and the announcer cleared his throat most importantly, poking his staff on the floor three times.

"Her Majesty, Queen Eliza," he declared. "And the Royal Princesses, Alexandra and Kara."

The present all curtsied as they walked inside, Eliza with a straight back, properly dressed in black as a grieving widow, and Alex and Kara following her. Everyone bowed as they passed, and finally they reached the end of the hall, sitting in the front row next to the stage. Alex looked around, noticing Sir J’onn, who was standing to the side, his head bowed, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Sir J’onn was the King's chief adviser, his right-hand man and closest friend. He was a gentle and pleasant man, and the royal family trusted him with their lives. Now that the king had died, Alex knew that Eliza and J’onn would work together to lead the kingdom, as they had helped Jeremiah before. She noticed them sharing a slight nod as J’onn sat down behind them. He then looked to Kara and Alex, his gaze softening, and nodded in encouragement. Alex sent him a similar nod and he looked away, more serious.

Alex's relationship with J’onn was good, though not particularly deep. She liked him very much, and he never gave her or her family reason to doubt him. In addition to his role as chief adviser, Alex knew that for the next ten months, J’onn would be the one to guide her towards her reign, which was what Alex's father was supposed to do. Although Eliza was the queen, J’onn had the right skills, and especially the time and availability. Despite everything, Alex felt safe.

"Bow before your queen, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Eliza Marie Leona," the announcer exclaimed, and everyone knelt while Eliza went on stage. She cleared her throat, and Alex noticed the dampness in her eyes, which she hurried to wipe. A wave of immense affection towards her mother washed her, and she wanted to go there and wrap her in a hug. She settled for placing a gentle hand on Kara's knee, squeezing encouragingly as Kara's tears began to flow even before Eliza uttered a word.

"Jeremiah was the love of my life." Eliza opened. “He was the noblest man I’ve ever known. With him, I've never felt alone, never inferior. He always made me feel like I was the most beautiful, most- '' She choked for a second, and swallowed. “The most amazing woman in the world. I wish for every person to feel as loved as I felt when I was with him.” Her chin trembled at times but she stayed tall, speaking without looking at any paper or note. The sorrow was deep in her eyes and she kept on going about Jeremiah, and no eye was left dry in the crowd.

When the ceremony was over Alex stood up again, looking at Kara, who had a trail of tears on her cheeks. She wrapped a comforting arm around her neck, hugging her. Kara didn’t have to speak for Alex to know how she felt.

The announcer knocked two taps on his long, majestic cane, signaling the end of the event, and everyone began to leave the hall with muffled talk. Eliza walked over to her embraced daughters, tears on her cheeks as well.

"My girls," she murmured, wrapping them both in another, stronger hug, and Alex drew strength from her embrace, from her closeness. She released them, looking at them with a proud smile. "You amazing women."

The corner of Alex's mouth rose to a crooked smile, and she turned her gaze to J’onn, who was approaching the three of them.

"Princesses, my Queen," he bowed his head toward each of the girls. Even though he was older and more experienced than them, he gave them respect like the rest of the kingdom, and Alex's affection for him grew even stronger each time he did. She had no doubt that he was the right man to head the kingdom at such a time. Maybe even more than her. She didn’t feel ready, not even a little, but she knew that the role of her father, and now of J’onn, was to prepare her for it.

They bowed before him. "Sir J’onn," they murmured together.

"Please," he shook his head, looking at Kara and Alex with a pleasant smile. "You used to call me Uncle J’onn, and, no matter what, I will always remain Uncle J’onn for you." Kara blushed and gave him a big smile. Anything that managed to put a smile on Kara's face these days was worthy of Alex's admiration, and Alex did adore him.

"So, Uncle J’onn," she said with an amused smile. "When will we start the preparation sessions?"

"Immediately after the week of mourning for your father," he said earnestly. "I look forward to guiding you for the most important role in your life."

"Well, the most important role in my life was to keep Kara from finishing all the cheese bread rolls at breakfast so that there was enough left for everyone, so you could say it's the second most important."

Eliza and J’onn laughed politely as Kara frowned at Alex. Alex smiled sweetly, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Part of my job as a big sister."

"Excuse me," one of the servants said behind them and they turned. She bowed to each in turn. "My Queen," she said at last. "Representatives of the northern localities are waiting for you in the meeting room."

"Of course," Eliza said and sent the servant on her way. "Sir J’onn, I would like for you to join me."

"As you wish, My Queen," he bowed his head and they both turned to walk away, leaving Alex and Kara alone, in a hall that was already empty.

"Come," Alex took Kara's hand in hers. "Let’s take a walk in the garden."

_

The week of mourning for King Jeremiah passed by quickly for Alex, and the awaited morning came. She approached her father's old study, ready for her first meeting with J’onn. She felt tense, and excited, and especially curious to spend these lessons with J’onn and learn from him.

J’onn had been her father's best friend since they were young boys. J’onn's family were distinguished dukes from a distant kingdom who moved to Zorelia many years ago. J’onn and Jeremiah quickly became good friends, and Jeremiah gave J’onn a big place in his life, as a man and as a king. Alex knew him well, but they had never had face-to-face meetings. They talked a lot, but not on important issues like the one before them, nor in a formal meeting. She turned down the hall and reached the carved wooden door, knocking on it resolutely.

"Come in," she heard J’onn's voice. She entered the room and found him sitting behind the desk. He raised his head to her.

"Princess Alexandra," he bowed his head. "Come on in."

She closed the door behind her and sat down in front of him. "Sir J’onn?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"I would like to ask you, if it's okay, to just call me Alex. I’m more comfortable that way."

He smiled, "Are you certain?"

"Absolutely."

He nodded once, "Alex, then. Only if you call me J’onn."

She smiled, "Alright."

"Well then, Alex. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Excited. Stressed."

"About what?"

"Well, I'm going to be a queen soon, and I don’t feel ready yet."

"Well, I'm glad to say that this is the reason for these meetings. I'm here to make sure that on your twenty-first birthday you are the crowned Queen, and that you are as ready for the role as possible," he thought for a moment. "I know that your father was very proud of the woman you are, and that he believed with all his heart that you would be the most worthy queen of this kingdom." He looked at the wall next to him, where there was a painting of him and Jeremiah standing together. She knew how much he missed him, and wondered if it was even more than she did.

"Thank you, J’onn."

He sent her an encouraging smile, "Let's get down to the important issues."

Ever since she was a child, Alex had learned languages, arithmetic, as well as manners and etiquette, all designed for life as a royal. Her parents insisted on starting the royal training at a later age, to allow her to have a childhood as normal as possible, so it was at a later stage in her life, at the age of fifteen, that she gradually began to study history, politics and government lessons, and other more complex classes. Now, to prepare to be the queen, she had to learn how to control the subjects, the high ministry, make fateful decisions on the spot, lead royal meetings and give the right orders, and do everything rightly and kindly.

They continued where Jeremiah had stopped his teachings, and J’onn now lectured her on the agriculture of the kingdom and her role as queen to oversee the crop. She listened intently, trying to remember everything.

There was a sudden knock on the door and J’onn paused. "Enter," he called.

The door opened by a uniformed guard. "Queen Eliza," he announced and they both got up, bowing for Eliza who had entered the room.

"My Queen," said J’onn. Eliza nodded at them, motioning for them to sit down. The guard, who entered the room, hurried to arrange a chair for her next to J'onn.

"Mother, is something wrong?" Alex asked in confusion. Her mother never interrupted a class with her father. She used to teach her royal manners, but for that a separate lesson was held. She wondered if Eliza wanted to supervise J'onn, though that was unlikely, since Eliza trusted him with her life.

"No, my dear," Eliza said, but looked quite worried. She glanced at J'onn. "There is an urgent matter that we must discuss."

"What is the problem?" J'onn asked, straightening up.

"Daxamites," she sighed, turning mostly to Alex. "They broke through the border. Dozens of them, a few hours ago. They rioted, there in Lievendale. They completely burned down the school in the city. We sent two regiments, and they are now taking over the situation."

Alex covered her mouth in shock, and J'onn looked surprised, but kept a serious face. "Are there any casualties?"

"From the last report I was given, no. Everyone managed to escape in time. The city is now under heavy guard, and volunteers are cleaning up the chaos left in the streets."

Alex sighed. Their kingdom, Zorelia, was located near the kingdom of Daxia. The kingdom of Zorelia was always ruled by pleasant kings who always wanted the good for their country, and the inhabitants were simple and good people, with a calm atmosphere surrounding the kingdom, whereas Daxia was a kingdom of thugs, tyrants, and evildoers, seeking every opportunity to fight the neighboring kingdom. Zorelia may have been a simple kingdom, but they did not surrender, and for years, wars on wars took place. Zorelia protected its people while Daxia sent assassins, lethal weapons, and sometimes arsonists or lone terrorists, all with one goal - to make the kings of Zorelia surrender and hand over the keys to the kingdom into their hands. The territory controlled by the kingdom was rich in fertile lands and had enormous potential that its inhabitants wisely exploited, but Zorelia did not come close to relinquishing its treasures, and Daxia continued to fight. The two kingdoms had raised generations upon generations of people whose sole purpose was one - to defeat the enemy.

When Jeremiah ascended to the crown, he decided to change the way things were. By the time he gained power, the whole kingdom was tired of defensive wars, of people dying every day, of the fear of rebels and Daxamites that was strewn in the streets. He decided that from then on, the kingdom would repair its ruins and be rebuilt as a peace-seeking kingdom, with honorable people loyal to the crown, a kingdom that would care for its inhabitants as they’d care for it. He decided to fight back, something only a few kings had done before him, and managed to land a great and cruel blow on Daxia with what was left of his army. In the time it took Daxia to recover, he rebuilt the kingdom, renewed roads, tunnels and houses, helped agriculture and instilled hope in the people. He saved his kingdom, and the Daxamites stayed in theirs, afraid and wounded.

He reigned with dignity and honesty for a long time. But after thirty-two years in which he devoted himself to his homeland, he fell ill. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and a few weeks after the discovery of his illness, the royal doctor called his family, asking them to say goodbye.

King Jeremiah had died, and so the kingdom of Daxia rose to its feet again, ready to strike the kingless kingdom.

"What will they do with them?" Alex asked. "The Daxamites we caught?"

"They'll be sent here, to Jerusadale," Eliza said with her head held high. "They will be judged and punished in the full severity of the law."

Alex bit her lip. Usually King Jeremiah was the one who decided over all the kingdom’s affairs. Now that he was gone, Eliza was the one who would have to judge in his place. Alex noticed Eliza and J’onn exchanging glances.

"I would be happy if you could accompany me to trial, Sir J'onn. It will take place tomorrow morning in the courtroom."

"Of course, my Queen."

A small smile appeared on her face, and Alex saw it as full of relief. She knew that her mother wouldn't have been able to get through the next period without J'onn by her side. She stayed in her chair, wondering if that was all.

"But I didn’t come here to discuss the matter of Daxia. We will get to that soon." She looked at Alex with a forced smile. Alex raised an eyebrow at her, recognizing apprehension in her smile.

"Alexandra. I know that for many years we have taught you many things, from speeches to cooking, including martial arts, in which you excelled. You are certainly capable of defending yourself." She paused, still smiling, but her eyes showed concern, restlessness. Alex wondered where all this was leading.

"This morning's events made me think about the chances of the Daxamites coming to Jerusadale, to the palace. They can direct their next target at someone important, someone from here." She stopped again, looking into Alex's eyes. "Someone from the royal family."

Alex pursed her lips. "You mean me."

Eliza nodded. "The future Queen."

Alex shuddered. She was going to be the next queen, which meant death would be a constant threat. She had always been taught that as a queen she would have to act in matters of trade, diplomacy, law and justice, and not in matters of war. Ever since she was a child, the kingdom had known quiet. Now that her father had died, everything was changing.

"So what now? More martial arts lessons? I already know at least three full martial arts, in addition to sword fighting and bow and arrow. So spear lessons? Nunchaku?" Her voice was sarcastic, but it was mostly to disguise the fear in her voice. Eliza noticed that, and she got up quickly, walking over to her. She leaned in front of her, taking both of Alex’s hands in hers.

"My darling," she said softly, smiling soothingly. "I know it's scary. Your father was scared too, when he was crowned as king. But he knew that courage and determination were what would get him far, what would help him defeat these wretched barbarians. You have to stand strong. There are people who will protect you. Believe that hope will help you overcome fear and evil." She squeezed Alex's hands, warm and confident. "I'm here by your side, all of us," she glanced at J’onn, who smiled at her encouragingly. "We're all here by your side. You will not go through this alone."

Alex nodded. Her throat was choked but she drew strength from her mother's eyes, breathing deeply. "Alright."

Eliza's smile widened. "I'm proud of you." She got up, nodding at the guard standing next to the door. Alex turned around, a little confused.

"With all that said, I want to make sure we have the best protection for you." Eliza said as the door opened, and a young woman went inside. She wore a black and yellow training suit, and walked with her head held high, leaning on one knee before the three of them, her head bowing forward.

"My Queen, My Lord," she said in a quiet voice. "Princess," she added, and her head rose to a fraction of a second, giving Alex a quick look.

"What- Wait," Alex stood up, standing next to her mother. "Is this... a bodyguard? For me?"

"Only until things calm down. We never needed it, certainly not in our kingdom, but I'm afraid things at the border will escalate, and it won't be long before invaders arrive at the palace." Eliza sounded almost pleading, which wasn't typical for her at all. Alex looked at her, and she coughed, her gaze serious again. "She will be with you all hours of the day, until the threat passes."

"Threat?" Alex didn’t like the idea, not even a little. Not the idea of being assassinated, and especially not the idea of having someone go with her everywhere. She examined the woman again.

Something in her froze. This was the woman she saw at the funeral a week ago. The one that went in the audience in an outfit just like that, the one who looked at her. Every detail in her mesmerized Alex more and more. Alex narrowed her eyes.

"Where did she came from?" She asked.

"She works in a special unit in the military. Don't worry, she's very talented at her job, and I'm sure she'll be doing it perfectly."

Alex sighed, looking back at J’onn, who was still sitting. She was surprised to find a slightly amused look on his face. "Did you know about this?"

"No more than you," he shrugged. She turned to her mother, who immediately shook her head.

"You have no choice. As your queen, I order you to accept the situation." Her gaze was stiff, and Alex knew that with such a look, she could never change her mind. She looked down at the woman, who was still bent over her knee, her head bowed. She approached her cautiously.

"Stand up," she ordered. The woman stood up straight, looking ahead.

Alex examined her for a few moments; her solid, short body, her good posture. She tried to gauge her physical abilities but found herself repeatedly drawn to her face. Chocolate eyes, taut jawline, full lips. Faded freckles covering the bridge of her nose, the area around her mouth, giving her a more delicate, soft look, in contrast to her stoic and combative figure. Alex noticed a tiny dent in her cheek, something that was probably a hidden dimple, and suddenly she imagined the girl's smile, the way her eyes would surely narrow in laughter, and how her dimples would look on that face. She hurried to stop her thoughts. She was deviating from the path, and must concentrate on the important things.

"What is your name?" She asked, crossing her arms. The girl still hadn’t looked at her.

"Maggie, Princess." she said. "Maggie Sawyer, of Dupworth."

Alex bit the inside of her cheek. "You can look at me, Maggie."

Maggie's eyes moved slowly, and finally rested on Alex. A tiny, almost imperceptible smile came over Maggie's lips, and her eyes radiated warmth. Alex raised an eyebrow, smiling back, a slightly wider smile. Relief calmed her heart and she turned to her mother, who was standing with her hands clasped behind her back, waiting.

"Alright."

A smile full of relief spread across Eliza's face, and she clapped her hands. "Wonderful!" She turned to J'onn who was still looking at them. He nodded at her. She turned back to Alex. "She will be with you at all hours of the day, wherever you go. At meals, meetings, classes, events. At night she will keep out of your room, until further notice." Alex tried to digest the situation while Eliza turned to leave.

"Well, then. You need to finish your lesson. Miss Sawyer can wait here inside while-"

"My Queen, if I may," said J'onn. "The content of the lessons can be classified. It may be better if the guard stays out of the room while the princess and I are here."

Eliza seemed like she wanted to protest, but relented. She squeezed Alex’s shoulder and ordered Maggie to go out. Maggie bowed twice, towards J'onn and Alex, and left the room. Alex and J'onn were left alone again, and Alex set down on her chair back, sighing.

"Lots of new information to digest, huh?" Said J'onn affectionately, sitting down too. Alex hummed, not yet ready to talk.

"When you become a queen, you will have to make a lot of decisions under pressure, without losing your temper, without losing concentration. Remember that."

"How can I forget?" She murmured, rubbing her eyes. He laughed.

"Let's go back to where we were, alright?"

Alex nodded, her eyes planted on the floor nervously. J'onn noticed, reaching forward.

"I know the situation sounds particularly stressful. You have never experienced in your life the horror of being attacked by another kingdom. Before your father, everything was chaos, and it seemed as if it would never end. But he managed to keep them away for enough time, and I am confident that this time too we will succeed." She smiled at her, and she held his hand, nodding. Even if she didn’t completely believe it now, she trusted him to lead her in the best way to her reign.

"It's not just that," she confessed. "I need a personal guard, and... it shows how much I'm in danger."

J'onn nodded. "Indeed, it is very stressful. But remember she is here to protect you, and I am convinced she will do her job properly now."

"Now?"

"I mean," he blinked. "Now that she's... here, to guard your life. When you need it."

Alex nodded slowly. The thoughts about the guard kept pecking at the back of her head, but she was silent, straightened up.

They kept going where they left off, Alex trying to concentrate on J'onn's words, but all the while her head wandered to distant thoughts. What her life would look like now that she was accompanied by a bodyguard, how she would be able to overcome the Daxamites’ threat, and above all, the tiny dent in Maggie's cheek, and what her face would look like when she'd smile.


	2. Chapter 2

"A bodyguard?"

Kara managed to sound surprised even with a full mouth. Alex rolled her eyes.

"Be quieter, she's standing right there." Alex glanced at the door, where Maggie stood with her head held high. "And swallow your food before you speak."

Kara swallowed, taking another bite almost immediately. She looked at Maggie with interest, chewing.

"Why won't they bring _me_ a bodyguard?"

"Because you are not the future Queen. Would you like to replace me?" Alex sipped from her glass.

Kara shook her head immediately. "Oh, absolutely not. You’re much more suitable than me."

They ate their dinner in the small hall, sitting at the end of the long table. They usually had dinner with their mother or J’onn, and sometimes a nobleman or two joined them, along with more food and servants around them. Tonight, they sat alone. Their mother and J’onn had to deal with the kingdom’s affairs, which was taking longer than expected. Alex wasn’t complaining, and preferred to have a meal alone with Kara, to chat with her sister and to relax from the day’s events.

"How are the royalty lessons with J’onn?"

"Terrible," Alex sighed. "I mean, the content of the lessons is rather interesting, but sometimes it feels like there are so many things to remember, and act on, and always remember to be perfect in everything I do." She took another sip from her glass. "It's tiring. And stressful. I wish I didn’t have so much pressure on me."

"Oh. That is upsetting."

Alex nodded. "Well, I do have J’onn, and he's very helpful."

"Right. And you'll be fine, don’t worry. I have faith in you."

Alex raised her eyebrows to her sister. "And what about you? You haven’t been doing anything lately, have you?"

Kara shrugged. "Just because Mother is busy helping the kingdom to not be destroyed it doesn’t mean our classes have stopped. She just hired someone new to teach me. It turns out she was the head of housekeeping in the palace a few years ago and retired, and now Mother thinks she can teach me manners and etiquette."

"Who is she?"

"Some pompous lady named Grant. I have to call her Miss Grant, and be quiet every time she speaks, and do exactly what she asks of me, or she'll be giving me a five-minute speech on the future of the kingdom and how it’s in my incompetent hands." Kara took another bite, her face curling sadly. "It was so much more fun when Mother was giving  the lessons."

"Oh, that is upsetting," Alex said with an amused smile, moving quickly to elude Kara that tried to slap her shoulder.

"This is not funny!"

"Right. Miss Grant really sounds like a big snooty face."

Alex finished her plate and raised her head to a servant standing nearby. "George, could you please get us some hot chocolate and cookies?"

The servant nodded wordlessly and turned to the kitchen, while Kara finished her glass full of juice. "Yes, hot chocolate would be great now," she said happily, watching the servants clear their plates and glasses.

They went out to the porch, sitting in the rain-free evening and their cup of hot chocolate.  Alex glanced back. Maggie, walking in almost exemplary silence, now stood a few feet behind them at the entrance, her body upright and her hands still behind her back, and her eyes focused calmly on Alex and the roundings.

Maggie had been by Alex's side for almost twelve hours now. Alex had studied with J’onn, watched various meetings he attended, and read in the library, and all that time Maggie never stood more than a few feet away from her, waiting outside the door or on the side of the room with the other gatekeepers. Alex didn’t know if she could get used to the idea of never being really alone.

They sipped in silence, looking at the nightly view of small lights that was the city of Jerusadale. Alex loved the city. Although she rarely went out, only to festivals and rallies in the square, the happy people, the residents full of life always made her smile. She wasn’t an openly happy person like her sister, but she knew she would one day rule over them, and wanted to do the job right. She knew that they deserved a good ruler.

Alex took another look back, Maggie's profile was upright, just a few feet behind her. She moved in her chair uncomfortably. She wanted to talk to Kara in the privacy that had been abundantly available to them until now, since the rest of the palace servants used to stay away when the sisters sat alone. Now, with Maggie around, it would be much harder to have free conversations like they used to have. Alex looked at Kara, who smiled in silence. She knew that smile. She and Kara were able to have a whole conversation with looks and winks alone, and sometimes in the old language they invented years ago, made entirely of hand touches on the face and slight movements of the mouth and eye.

But they are older now. There are conversations that cannot be made with winks and presses on the tip of the nose. Kara glanced at Maggie, and at Alex again, and a different smile came over her face. Alex couldn’t stop her in time, but she certainly saw it happen before Kara opened her mouth.

"Hey, guard!"

Alex sighed. Maggie showed no sign of hearing Kara.

"Come on, I won’t hurt you. Look over here."

Maggie moved her head in a microscopic motion, her eyes glancing at Kara. Alex saw a slight apprehension in her eyes, while Kara smiled broadly.

"Would you like to join us?"

Alex didn’t expect this. Guards can’t just sit for a drink with the royal family, so Kara’s suggestion was meaningless. Nevertheless, she was intrigued to see Maggie's reaction. Maggie turned her head back up, not responding.

"Come on, Miss-" Kara looked at Alex. "What did you say her name was?"

"Ma- Sawyer. Miss Sawyer."

"Miss Sawyer. Don't you feel like having hot chocolate? It’s a drink you can only drink at the palace. And George makes it great," she raised her glass in the air for impression.

Maggie's lips curled up slightly, but she still didn’t respond. Kara sighed and walked over to Maggie, standing in front of her.

"Hey," her voice was pleasant. "You can look at me."

Maggie turned her head slowly, looking at Kara, who was smiling at her. "I'm Kara. I'm Alex's sister." She paused. "Thank you for watching over her."

Maggie hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty," she said slowly. Alex hadn’t heard her voice since that morning. It was quiet, soft, like a blanket covering just over the right places. Alex tilted her head slightly, still intrigued.

"Have you ever tasted chocolate, Miss Sawyer?"

There was still a gentle smile on Maggie's face, and she seemed to be trying to repress it. "Queen Eliza has warned me about you, Princess," she said at last. "She said you would try to make me lower my guard, even if innocently, even... for chocolate." The slight curvature of her lips was defiant, almost cheeky. Kara gaped, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Can you believe that?" She turned to Alex, who choked a giggle.

"I wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t true," she said. "Leave the poor guard alone, come here and finish your chocolate."

Kara went back to her place, taking a cookie from the tray.

"You don’t know what you’re missing out on," she called out without turning her head back, and Alex put a hand on her shoulder, silencing her pleasantly.

"Why don't you tell me more about the lesson with Miss Grant?"

Kara cracked in a long, petty monologue, and Alex half-listened, turning her head for a moment to look at Maggie. She stood up straight again, looking forward. Alex knew that all her senses were sharp, alert, ready for the moment when Alex would be in danger. She studied her for a few moments, and felt her heart warming up.

-

Alex's morning routine had been the same ever since she was fourteen. She would wake up at six every day, her inner clock stretched and oiled. She would get out of bed, open the huge curtains and the windows to refresh the room. After a brisk visit in the adjoining bathroom, she would get dressed and go out of her room, starting her day on the balcony that was just a few minutes away from her room, where she would sit in a hidden corner, reserved only for her. The royal palace was built on the edge of the mountain, and around it were different views: on one side was the city of Jerusadale, on the other, was a thick forest, and on the back was a cliff, to which one could overlook a large valley. Alex's corner rested in front of the valley view, and she would sit there for a long time every morning, breathing fresh air, looking at the view, and relaxing before a busy day of princesses matters. Recently her schedule had become increasingly busy, and such a routine was not only recommended, but necessary.

The first morning Maggie was her guard, she woke up as usual and started getting ready when she remembered that Maggie was supposed to stand outside her room. She opened the door, tightening her night robe to her body.

Maggie stood to the right, as upright as ever. She turned, looking at Alex with sharp eyes, and bowed to her.

"Good morning, Princess."

Alex nodded back. This was something she would have to get used to. "Have you been here all night?"

"No, Princess. A guard came to replace me at midnight. I was assigned a room at the end of the corridor." She nodded in that direction. "I arrived to replace him just a few minutes ago."

Alex nodded again. "I'll be done getting ready in a few moments."

"Yes, Princess." Maggie bowed deeply, returning to an upright position. Alex closed the door, standing there for a few more seconds before shaking her head and returning to her routine.

Ever since she was a baby, Alex had always been surrounded by guards and servants who fulfilled all her needs. Between personal servants, waiters, and other palace workers meant to serve the royal family, there were more servants than guards. She interacted with them daily, so she spent more time with them and talked to them more. She had a close nanny who helped and educated her since she was a baby until the age of fourteen, when Eliza decided that Alex should learn to take care of herself. Alex slowly learned to accept her independence with worry though bravely, and since then hadn’t needed any personal help from any servant.

But the guards were a different story. Guards were part of her life routine, part of the palace routine. They had been everywhere, since she was born. Wearing their formal uniform, accompanying her as she went out or standing at the gates or doors, always silent and serious. She didn’t have conversations with them or talk to them at all, other than instructions and commands mainly concerning their location, and she only received bows, nods and "Yes, Princess". In all of Alex’s life in the palace, they had always walked around, stood or patrolled, always with their heads held high and eyes sharp. She never gave them much thought.

She left the room, her clothes taut and ironed. She never wore dresses on a daily basis since she was given her mother’s permission to avoid them unless necessary. Her everyday wear was usually a simple cloth shirt, and trousers tucked into leather boots, and if she wore a dress, it was a comfortable one, with no ruffles or lace. She closed the room door behind her and Maggie bowed to her again lightly, following her in exemplary silence. They reached Alex's balcony in a few minutes, and Alex stood, looking at the view.

"I like to take a few moments each morning to start the day calmly," she said. Maggie was behind her, making no sound that signaled she was hearing her. Alex continued.

"Then we'll go to eat breakfast, and after that I will continue with my royal classes until one o'clock. After that, I would like to go for a ride." She turned. Maggie nodded once as a signal that she heard and understood.

Alex opened her mouth, then closed it almost immediately. She was about to ask Maggie if she wanted to join her when she remembered Maggie really had no way of refusing. "Do you have a horse?" she finally asked.

Maggie nodded. "Very good," said Alex, turning back. She sat down on the stone bench, folding her legs under her body.

"Do not disturb me."

She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts calm her.

Within minutes, she discovered that her thoughts didn’t calm her at all. She ran the previous moments through her mind over and over, when she was talking to Maggie. Why did she even think of offering Maggie to join her? She loves to ride alone. She sometimes rode with Kara or her parents, but never with... a complete stranger, and especially not on her own initiative. Maybe her manners had finally subdued her and she had started being too polite automatically? This would have sounded wrong, since Alex's manners were always as honest as possible, much to her mother’s dismay. She wouldn’t offer an almost complete stranger to go out with her for a ride if she didn’t have to. What made her want to?

It didn’t matter, probably. Maggie would join her whether she wanted it or not. She thought of her always upright posture, of her eyes that were as alert as ever, of her wavy hair, which was probably fluttering in the wind behind her right now, in the light morning breeze.

Alex never gave much thought to the palace guards. They just did their job. There wasn’t always work to be done - Zorelia was a quiet and pleasant kingdom, and guards were mainly for the sake of impression and keeping the quiet. Nothing had changed for a long time, until now. Now, Alex knew that Maggie was going to be a part of her life for a long time, until things would work out with Daxia. She’d better get used to her presence behind her. She would join her rides, meals and meetings, whether Alex would like it or not.

Alex opened her eyes, sighing loudly. She couldn't concentrate. She took a deep breath, trying again.

Guards didn’t interest her. Servants didn’t interest her very much either. The only people in her life were her family. And now... Maggie too.

She was a complete stranger, but something about her still made Alex intrigued about her, about her essence. She wanted to ask her about her life, about her hobbies. She had a sudden need - a frightening need - to remove all her masks and have a conversation with Maggie, just the two of them, without degrees and classes. She wanted Maggie to ask her if everything was okay. She wanted to... share her worries with her. Ask her for advice.

But she knew it wouldn't happen - Maggie was a guard. It wasn't her job. She just had to take care of Alex's life safety.

Not its quality.

-

"... if so, three important conclusions can be learned from our lesson today." J’onn set down and Alex nodded.

"Trust informed sources, never doubt my self-knowledge, but still cast a drop of doubt on everything I see or hear."

“Good.”

"It's so hard to remember everything."

"You will get used to this thought process until it becomes a part of you and you won’t make an effort to activate it."

"I definitely hope so."

J’onn smiled at her, patting on the wooden table.

"Don't worry, Alex," his voice was reassuring. "When we finish your training, you will be the best queen Zorelia has ever seen."

"I doubt it," she growls, looking at the clock on the wall. Lunch was to be served soon. "Father was better than I could ever be."

"He was indeed a good king." John nodded. "But I believe you can follow his footsteps. I have complete faith in you.”

Alex smiled a little. "Thank you, J’onn."

He rose from his chair. "Will you accompany me to lunch?"

Alex began to love her new routine. Of course, she missed her father very much, but the lessons with J’onn were a little more liberating, and she found herself enjoying them regularly, despite everything. J’onn was not her father, and the feeling that she had to please him and be perfect began to fade, and was replaced by a desire to prove herself, to be better, without fear of failure. She knew J’onn would support her, and give her what she needed to move forward. The longing for her father didn’t cease, but she had the comfort of being supported by those around her.

She began to notice changes in the palace. More guards. Fewer visitors. The public evening and morning ceremonies were shortened, and she noticed that in addition to the regular guards, there were newer guards, with slightly different uniforms -three black stripes on their shoulders, that patrolled the courtyard and inside the palace. From the brief conversations she managed to have with her mother, she found that she had hired a new array of guards to protect the occupants of the palace and make sure it was safe. The attacks in the north continued, and companies were sent one after another to calm the area and protect the residents.

Alex continued with her usual routine, with Maggie always one step behind her, always ready for any sign of trouble. She sometimes looked out of a random window or beyond the fence, wondering if one of the passers-by outside the palace was secretly a Daxamite plotting her death. Her fingers stretched and bounced frequently, and she tried not to delve into thoughts of the possibility that she might be assassinated, that Daxamites were infiltrating across the fence to carry out their evil actions in the palace. It made her very stressed. She also tried not to talk about it with anyone; her mother would dismiss her worries in an attempt to reassure her, Kara would be even more scared than her, and J’onn just gave her advice after advice. She just wanted someone who'd listen.

Maggie made her feel safe. Sudden sounds bounced off her at times, and she found herself looking in every direction as they went for walks in the garden or at public ceremonies, looking for a drawn arrow or a knife. But each time, without exception, she noticed Maggie beside or behind her, scanning the area as usual, ready for any threat. She found herself trusting her more than she thought she would, more than she trusted... anyone, really. Her nerves would calm down almost immediately whenever she remembered she was protected.

And yet, they never spoke. It wasn’t forbidden, by the very fact. A royal was allowed to do as they pleased. But her mother would have phrased it as 'inappropriate'. It was inappropriate for her to have conversations with Maggie. Maggie's only job was to stay quiet, speak when she was spoken to, and make sure nothing bad happened to Alex. Alex found confidence and comfort in Maggie’s presence, but refrained from talking to her. No matter what she really wanted, what she longed for, she knew she had to keep things in order. It was better that way.

"Princess?"

Alex stood in the hallway on her way to her royal lesson and looked out the window at the view overlooking the city. She turned with a puzzled look at Maggie's voice, finding her standing upright behind her.

"I'm sorry, but we have to hurry. Your class is about to begin."

Alex's mouth opened slightly. It was not part of Maggie's job to talk to Alex that way. In fact, if Alex was late for her class, it was her sole responsibility. She weighed whether she should do something about it, took another look outside, and back at Maggie. She opened her mouth to speak, but not a word came out. Maggie's gaze became confused, and Alex tried again to speak without Maggie's freckles distracting her.

"You're-you’re right. Uh, thank you."

They kept walking down the hall, Alex a little surprised at herself. She was never mean to servants, as she knew royalty from other kingdoms sometimes used to be. On the contrary, she used to smile at them, say thank you, be respectful. She remembered that they were people, just like her, but she was lucky to be a royal. Of course, she knew that being too kind-hearted could be a source of problems: a servant to whom they behaved too freely may be confused as to their place in the palace, and take too many liberties. Despite this, she tried to be as pleasant as possible in all her interactions with them. They knew their place, and no problems arose.

On the other hand, a deviant servant needed to know how to get back on track. A little reminder. Maggie was new to the palace, she may not know all the rules. Moreover, Maggie wasn’t a servant, she was a guard. Those had even less right to speak. Alex knew how to do it –elegance, majesty, determination– all of which were imprinted on her blood as a royal, and learned through her mother, who knew how to do it without difficulty or embarrassment more than anyone.

Her legs carried her forward without thought, but she struggled deep inside. Maggie was not supposed to talk. And yet, Alex didn’t have many opportunities to hear her voice. She was a guard, lacked any uniqueness, and yet... she was different. Somehow, she _was_ unique. Not just because she was her personal guard, but because Alex saw her in a different light, somehow. From the moment she laid her eyes on her, at her father's funeral. She was a riddle. A riddle Alex was desperate to solve. She was intriguing in a way Alex couldn’t stop thinking of. She wanted to talk to her, to argue with her, to know her hidden heart desires, her fears, her lusts. There was something secret, mysterious about her, and Alex longed to know it.

They turned and crossed another longer corridor, with a long, open window facing the street that let a pleasant breeze blow inside. Alex could hear shouts and derogatory calls, and turned her head to peek out. She noticed a small group of people calling aloud and waving their fists. Alex hadn’t seen many of those in her lifetime, but knew what was going on there. It was a protest.

"They've been there since Thursday." Maggie's voice was clear, expressionless, except, perhaps, a little contempt.

And still. Alex needed to repress those desires. It was out of place. She must say something to Maggie, otherwise-

"Useless, if you ask me."

Providing information, that was fine. Even when not requested. Alex could forgive that. But making a stand? That was excessive. She must not go over it in silence. Whether she liked it or not. She knew that in her place at this point, and even earlier, her mother would already be mad.

They turned right down the hall, J’onn's room just around the corner. Alex wondered again how she should approach the matter. Maggie had been with her for several weeks now, day after day, hour after hour, except for the nights. Certain patterns had already begun to take root between the two, and perhaps too much time together made her think they were already friends. Alex took a deep breath, formulating an appropriate response in her head.

"What are they protesting about?"

Alex wanted to catch the words as soon as they left her mouth. She was going to tell Maggie to return to her place as a guard, that she should keep quiet, not to ask her for an update on the protesting citizens. Apparently, the question bothered her more than Maggie's attitude. But Alex was a princess, for heaven's sake, and was about to be the crowned Queen. She should be updated about her kingdom, and not from her guard. How could it be that for the past three days she had no idea there were protesters outside the palace? Alex felt sick at that thought.

Before Alex could put her thoughts in order, she heard Maggie's voice behind her again.

"They demand more protection from the palace. The Daxamites are raging in the north, and there is a threat to the lives of residents."

Alex stopped. "I thought the disturbances stopped. That it was under control."

She heard Maggie stop behind her, knowing that as always she was standing there, back stretched out, head held high.

"That's what I heard. Maybe you should catch up."

Finally, that ignited Alex's anger, and she turned around. "And maybe you should learn your place. I am a princess and the future Queen. You will speak when spoken to, and not say things like... these. I am not your friend. Is that understood?"

Maggie's face was blank, her eyes looking forward. Alex walked over, standing in her line of sight. Maggie's eyes were frozen, and Alex was almost startled at the sight. She wasn’t used to seeing such coldness in Maggie's eyes; She was always upright and formal, but her eyes expressed warmth. Now, Alex saw deterrent ice in them, and she tried to stay calm.

"I said, is that understood, guard?"

"Crystal clear, Your Highness." Maggie's low voice burned in Alex's ears, but she turned around, continuing her way down the hall.

-

Kara's tongue stuck out slightly as she concentrated on the knitting in her hands. She raised her head as Alex entered their shared restroom, hurrying to smile.

"There you are! I started to think you wouldn’t come."

"Well, I've been trying to knit for over two months, I can't give up now," Alex sighed, taking her knitting from Kara's hands. She glanced back for a moment, Maggie standing quietly on the side of the room as usual. Alex exchanged a look with Kara, biting her lips.

"Miss Sawyer?"

"Yes, Princess." Maggie hurried to stand next to Alex. Alex raised her head, trying to smile sweetly.

"Can you give me and my sister some privacy?"

"I'm not supposed to leave you."

Alex turned her head back to her knitting, her hands a little more aggressive than necessary. "Maybe I wasn’t clear. I’m ordering you to give me and my sister some privacy."

There was silence in the room for a few seconds, Kara looked anxiously from Alex to Maggie and back. Maggie finally cleared her throat, bowing.

"Of course. As you wish, Princess."

She left the room, closing the doors behind her. Kara exhaled.

"Wow. That was tense."

Alex didn’t answer, finishing a line and moving on to the next one, her eyes focused on the colored wool.

"Alex?"

"I can’t make the- ugh, in the name of-"

"Hey, calm down with the wool," Kara took the tangled thicket from her hands, releasing it skillfully. She continued to knit in Alex's place, her fingers, as always, faster and better than Alex's. Kara was good at knitting, reading, playing cards. Alex was good at bow and arrow, disputations and debates, in diplomacy. Each had her own skills. Alex looked at Kara's fingers knitting gently and quickly, more than she ever could.

"Are you going to tell me what was that about?"

"What was what?"

Kara was silent, her eyes still focused on the wool. Alex sighed, leaning back.

"She's with me all the time."

"Yes, that's her job, if you haven't noticed."

"Obviously, I know, but-" she looked back, lowering her tone. "She... I don’t know, she confuses me."

"How?"

Alex thought. "We don't talk. You know, I don't talk to the guards-"

"I talk to the guards."

"You talk to everyone. Including your parrot."

"Hey, Lord Lucas brought him to me from the sea lands! And he answers back!"

"Yes, it doesn’t matter. We’re not supposed to talk to the guards."

"Maybe Mother will give you an exception in this case. Being with one person all day and not talking a word? Sounds exhausting. I couldn't stand it." Kara had already finished an entire line of Alex’s scarf and moved on to the next line. "Do you  _ want _ to talk to her?"

"No? I mean, yes... a little," Alex felt her ears get warm. Would her sister judge her for wanting to talk to her guard? Probably not. But still, something in that confession felt wrong to her. As if revealing a big secret. One she was not yet ready to give out. Besides, she made it very clear to Maggie that she didn’t want to hear her speak.

"So talk to her, what's the issue?" Kara finished a few more loops and handed the bundle to Alex. "Your turn. Try not to ruin it this time. Gently."

"Gently," Alex repeated. She took the wool, knitting thread by thread. Forming loop after loop. Pulling out. Pulling in. Maybe not everything was as complicated as she thought.

"She talked to me a few days ago," Alex was concentrating on knitting, letting words flow from her. "Said a few things. I told her she should keep quiet. Since then she just has... behaved differently."

"Different how?"

"She’s colder. Stiffer. She always had that spark in her eyes, almost like a smile, but hidden. And now she’s... I don’t know." Alex sighed again. "I didn’t mean to hurt her. But what could I do? It was inappropriate. Mother wouldn’t like it."

"I'm sure Mother wouldn't be mad at a guard just because she spoke," Kara's voice was gentle. "Nor at you. You can be more pleasant to the woman who protects you every day."

"Yes, not that there’s anything to protect from." Alex twisted the large needle in her hand, creating a new loop. "So far there have been no threats on the palace."

"Yet," Kara's voice was ominous. "Don’t be so complacent."

Alex wasn’t complacent at all. She was fearful, but knew there was nothing she could do about it. The kingdom was run by other people now, and she had to study for the job, and remain on a low profile, under close supervision. She didn’t like to be so helpless, but she had no say in the matter.

"Have you heard of the protesters?" Alex raised her head.

"Outside the palace? Yes."

"How come I didn’t hear about them?"

Kara raised her head too, stopping. "So Miss Sawyer told you about them. And you got upset because she knew it before you."

"No, I'm upset because she keeps pushing her nose-"

"She's a citizen of this kingdom. She has the right to be angry about the disturbances, you know."

"She wasn’t even angry. She said the protests were useless."

"Well, she's right." Kara continued to knit, shrugging. "People can protest as much as they want. The culprits are the Daxamites. Every day more and more Daxamites are brought here to be judged, and we do everything we can to protect the northerners.”

Alex was silent, thinking.

"It’s about fear," Kara continued. "People are scared. And when they are scared, they are angry. The palace is the best place to direct the anger. And rightly so. We need to protect our people. But we do everything we can at this point. Except, well, going on war."

Alex raised her eyebrow and Kara shrugged. "Miss Grant is not as bad as I thought. She has some interesting ideas, when she's not yelling at me that I'm incompetent.”

A thin smile appeared on Alex's face. There was logic in Kara's words. She could handle logic. Even if she didn't like it. For the sake of practice, she tried to think of ways to help the public, using one of the methods she learned from J’onn, even if she wasn’t the one making the decisions.

"She's right, though," Kara murmured. "You really need to be updated with what's happening in the kingdom."

Alex sighed again, returning to her knitting. She would make sure to be updated from now on.

"I'll never finish this."

"Of course you will! Hold the knitting needle lengthwise, it will help you move faster."

"Show-off."

_

"Next case," Eliza called.

"Case Number Five Three Two, in the matter of trespassing and sabotage." The announcer called, and fifteen people entered the hall, bound in chains. The announcer read their names, his voice full of disgust that couldn’t be missed.

Alex sat in a small cell on the side of the hall. Today she had to be present in court while her mother judged the royal affairs. J’onn sat next to her, advising and speaking occasionally, and Alex watched, a small notebook in her lap to make notes. So far the cases had been easy - petty theft, border crossing between neighbors or financial matters, but this case discussed a much more serious matter. Dozens of Daxamites who had repeatedly breached the borders, desecrating lands, looting and lighting huge fires had been brought to trial day after day, confined in the cellars of the prison next to the palace. Alex straightened up in her seat at the sight of the people entering the hall.

"...intentionally causing damage. How do you plead?"

The first man in line, a guy with a shaved head and a nasty smirk, leaned forward. "You ask if we did it?"

Eliza stared at him sternly over her glasses. Alex knew what she was thinking. She knew that her mother wanted to stand up now and scream with all her mourning lungs at this guy, who had led a group of people to destroy the lands of her kingdom and made its citizens flee. She knew that from the moment her father died Eliza was busy picking up her own fragments, and trying to prevent the kingdom from falling apart after his death as well. She knew that Eliza wanted to grab the guy by the collar of his shirt and throw him into the Kadronian River. To make him feel the sufferings she and her people were going through as she judged more and more Daxamites and gave them jail time week after week as they broke the kingdom's borders and caused destruction. Alex knew this because she wanted to do the same. She moved nervously in her chair.

"Yes, I am"

The guy cleared his throat, looking back, at his men, and forward again. "Yes, we did it. We had a blast."

Some of his men burst out laughing, and Alex struggled with the urge to run over and choke him. Her fists clenched angrily on her knee and she let out a throaty, weak, angry whimper. Suddenly she felt a light hand on her shoulder, but didn’t turn back.

"He will get what he deserves."

Despite the attitude Alex showed her, Maggie hadn’t learned her lesson. She was silent most of the time, cool and distant, but occasionally kept making her remarks, talking out of her place, expressing her opinion. It wasn’t always bad talking, most of the time, just... ordinary talk. Conversations that Alex could easily have with Kara, but still didn’t suit a guard talking to a princess. Despite it all, Alex took Kara's advice, letting Maggie speak without attacking her, and knew that the main reason Maggie didn’t stop was that she didn’t always stop her, and instead continued with a brief conversation. She hated to admit it, but it was refreshing, even though it was inappropriate, and she hoped her mother wouldn’t catch her in the act. Alex wasn’t used to another person in her life she could have conversations with. She had no friends, her family were the only people in her life. Still, she refrained from talking to Maggie for longer conversations than a few single sentences, and knew that once the kingdom found a solution to the Daxamites, the threat would be removed, and she would be able to live her life without a personal guard. There was no point in… getting attached.

Maggie's hand was warm on her shoulder, and she found herself welcoming the touch. It provided her comfort, calmness, a reason for her feelings. She nodded quickly without saying a word, and Maggie's hand slid away slowly.

"You are all accused of harming the citizens of our kingdom and causing malicious damage, and are sentenced to two years in prison." Eliza gave them a look of contempt. "Take them away. I don’t want them here."

Guards in black armor moved to take away the handcuffed men, when one of them, a rather short and frightened young man, turned around in his place with a look of horror on his face. Alex noticed him, raising her head to look at him. To her surprise, he looked straight at her.

"It's going to happen tonight. Tonight! Tonight!" He began to call quietly, and continued in a louder voice, screaming in panic. His eyes drilled holes in Alex, and she felt her heart beat faster. "Tonight! Tonight!"

The whole room was filled with whispers and calls of panic. Two handcuffed prisoners hurried to jump, one of them slamming himself at the shrieking man and the other talking him down on the floor, muffling his screams, which turned into meaningless murmurs. Several guards emerged from the corners of the room, clearing the commotion and pulling their handcuffs. Alex kept looking, her eyes wide in panic. She watched the guards lead him out of the room. To her horror, he turned his head sharply before he left the room, looking directly at her again.

"Tonight," she saw his lips move, an expression of utter dread on his face.

Alex placed her hand on her chest, completely startled, her heart continuing to pound at a rapid pace. She looked at the open door, hearing loud talk from every direction, until a hand on her shoulder managed to make her cut off her gaze. She noticed then that Maggie was standing in front of her, a small sword in her hand. She wondered how Maggie had managed to stand in front of her and pull a sword from a hidden place in her suit so quickly that she didn’t even notice. Maggie put the sword back in place, her other hand still on Alex's shoulder.

"Are you okay, Princess?" Maggie's eyebrows twitched anxiously, and Alex swallowed, nodding. She stared into Maggie's eyes, drawing security. Relief spread through her body as soon as she remembered Maggie was there to protect her. She felt safer immediately.

"Alex?" J’onn approached her quickly. "Are you alright?"

Alex could only nod, looking around. The people in the hall, who until now had been sitting in their seats, began to get up and speak in loud and frightened voices. She looked at the judges' table, where her mother seemed to regain her composure and conversed quietly with the head of the guards.

"Is Mother okay?" Alex managed to say. J’onn patted her back.

"She's fine. The important thing is that no attempt was made to harm anyone."

Alex looked up at him, confused. "Don’t tell me you're not going to take this seriously."

J’onn shook his head. "Of course not, Alex. We'll have increased security tonight. Here and in the north. You don't have to worry."

_ Of course I have to worry, I'm the one they want! That guy, he looked at me! I am in greater danger than anyone else! God knows what these scums are up to _ ! She didn’t dare say these things out loud. She just looked around again, a frightened look still on her face. She nodded once at J’onn, who nodded back at her and returned to the judges' stand, just as her mother banged the gavel.

"Order, please!" The hall fell silent, and those present hurried back to their seats.

"I’m asking everyone to calm down. We are in safe hands. We will not be harmed while the guards patrol the streets. We will assign more guards, and they will be instructed to keep a wide eye open." Eliza's voice was calm but stiff. "I promise you we will make all the necessary efforts so that nothing bad happens tonight to any Zorelians, and not on any other night." She paused, glancing nobly around. "We will take them down, just as King Jeremiah did years ago."

Alex looked around, and again at her mother, who was nodding one last time, to finish her words. She picked up her gavel again, banging it three times.

"This court is dismissed."

_

Kara started biting her nails.

"Stop it," Alex brushed Kara's hand gently. Kara hurried to fist her hands, trying to keep her fingers away from her face.

"Sorry, I'm just..." she exhaled longly. "I’m so stressed."

"Well, rest assured that tonight, the most guarded place in the kingdom will be the palace." Alex accompanied Kara to her room after dinner, and they saw guards hiding in every corner. She looked back, Maggie accompanying them with her upright walk as always. She noticed that Maggie was also looking around, trying to get used to the extra staff around the palace. She recognized the fear in Maggie's eyes, and the usual six feet distance she was careful to keep from her got shortened, with the thought that the threat was greater than she realized.

"I guess you're right," Kara sighed. "All these guards... it's supposed to calm me down, and for some reason it just scares me even more."

They stopped at Kara's door. "Hey," Alex put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "A whole team of skilled people is here to protect us. Here, and in the north. No Zorelian will be harmed tonight." She snuck a look aside, Maggie standing with her back to them, a little further away, to give them privacy. Now it was Kara's turn to show concern for Alex.

"And you... will you be alright?"

Alex gave her a reassuring smile. "No guard in this palace will let anything happen to the future Queen on their watch."

Kara nodded, swallowing, and her grip tightened on Alex's shoulders. "Mother said there would be two guards tonight outside my room."

"You will be protected, I promise."

They hugged for a long moment, and Alex planted a kiss on Kara's forehead.

"I’ll see you in the morning."

She and Maggie continued down the hall, to Alex's room, while guards around them positioned themselves. She tried to look calm, though fear began to arise in her heart again. They reached her room, where she had always said goodbye to Maggie in the evening and found her again the next morning. Alex turned to her.

"So I'll see you here in the morning?"

Alex said that almost every night. A question, almost unnecessary, to which the answer had always been yes. But Alex felt the need to make sure she’d see Maggie the next day.

Maggie nodded, her eyes smiling. Alex noticed her dimple deepening, and her heart pounded hard. The way Maggie behaved, the things she said to her, the confusion she made her feel, were all minimized in the face of the steady look she gave Alex each evening before they parted.

"I was instructed to stay here tonight." Maggie spent her nights in her room down the hall, so she could sleep, and a guard used to change her at night. Tonight, it seemed, the instructions had changed.

"But... you won’t sleep?"

Maggie nodded calmly. "Worry not, Your Highness. You are safe and secure with me."

Alex took a deep breath, nodding back. "Of course. I have no doubt about that."

Maggie's smile widened, and Alex opened the door.

"Good night, Princess."

"Good night, Miss Sawyer."

Alex closed the door, looking at the thick wood for a few moments, wondering if she should invite Maggie in. Guarding inside the room would surely be more effective. She would feel safer.

Something inside her told her that this wasn’t the only reason she wanted Maggie to be there with her. She hurried to dismiss the thought, turning to get ready for bed. Maggie had been confusing her so much recently that her head hurt. It was best if she just ignored any thoughts related to her.

That night, Alex had trouble falling asleep. When she finally did, it seemed to her that she had only slept for an hour, before a hand shook her gently.

"Princess, wake up," She heard Maggie whisper and hurried to open her eyes. "They're here.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see end notes for content warning

This wasn’t part of the plan. With so many guards, what were the chances that Daxamites would actually be able to get in? Up until that moment, Alex hadn’t really thought she was in real danger, with all the heavy guard staff. She listened carefully for any noises, but couldn’t hear a thing.

"Are you sure-"

"Yes. Hurry up. We need to get out of here."

She hurried to get dressed, zipping up her leather boots, while Maggie stood by the window, peeking out carefully.

"Outside seems to be vacant. We can go down from here."

Alex stood up. "I need to check on Kara."

"The Princess will be fine. The most important thing is to get you to-"

"I need to make sure my sister is okay. We'll take her with us."

Maggie looked at her, her eyes darkening. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, my instructions are to protect _you_. I can’t protect all your family members. I'm sorry. If you are ready, we must hurry and get out of here."

Alex's jaw clenched. On one hand, if she had the opportunity to help Kara, she would never forgive herself in case Kara got hurt. On the other hand, Maggie was right. If the Daxamites were already in the palace, and had somehow managed to infiltrate all the defense systems, they couldn't stop now and endanger themselves even more. She exhaled, nodding sharply, and Maggie turned, opening the narrow window.

Getting out of Alex's bedroom window was no easy task. They had to disguise themselves, and disappear quickly without making any noises. Alex suddenly heard a slight commotion in the distance, hoping with all her heart that her family members were protected. She looked out at Kara's window, a little farther away, seeing that the candle that was lit up there every night was now out. She choked on the tears that threatened to erupt in her eyes. Now was not the time. She had to believe that Kara was in good hands. Maybe she put out the candle on purpose to hide her position.

"This way," Alex heard a whisper, and followed Maggie's feline footsteps. She was extremely skilled, confident in her steps, jumping from one roof to another, through a short wall and again to another roof. Alex followed her, careful not to fall, her winter cloak fluttering behind her. On the jumps that seemed rather complicated, Maggie turned, reaching out to her without a word. They clung to each other, jumping and running with their backs bent, until they reached the end of the wall, at the end of the palace that bordered the forest. Maggie jumped to the ground with a quiet sigh, patting her knees.

"We will go into the forest, and return at dawn, when it will all calm down."

"How do you know it will all calm down at dawn?"

"I will go check, and you will stay. If I see that it’s all calm-"

"Are you going to leave me alone in the woods?"

Maggie started walking, motioning for Alex to follow her.

"Hey, I'm talking to-"

Suddenly she turned, pushing Alex against a nearby wall, both of them engulfed in darkness.

"What-" Alex's mouth was stopped by Maggie's hand. She could see nothing, only a dark shadow. Maggie's scent; soil, starched clothes, and something reminiscent of citrus suddenly reached her nose. Alex's heart stopped for a moment, and she fell silent, a bit frightened.

"I'm afraid the tables were turned, Princess. I'm responsible from now on. That means you will obey me, do as I say even if you don’t like it, go where I tell you to, and stay there if I tell you to stay. From now until the danger passes." She paused, releasing her grip slightly. "Queen Eliza has instructed me to act this way. And so I will."

Maggie stepped back a little, and Alex stared at her, petrified.

She didn’t like it. She always acted on her own, knew how to protect herself and take care of herself on her own. If she needed protection, the guards were there, but she always had the last word. Getting instructions from someone who wasn’t her mother or father seemed ridiculous to her. Her eyebrows narrowed in frustration. She knew that no matter what, she had no choice. She cleared her throat, running a hand over the hem of her cloak.

"Alright, guard." She said in a cool voice. "Lead the way."

They entered the depths of the forest. Alex didn’t know the woods, and always walked only on the edge, but as they got further inside more and more the trees crowded and the paths became thinner. Maggie walked quickly, jumping over rocks that Alex could barely see in the faint moonlight. She had to lift the hem of her cloak so that it wouldn’t get caught in twigs and branches, and clung to the trees so many times that her finger got a cut. Luckily, she was smart enough to wear her warm clothes. The night was quite chilly, but she still found herself sweating after a tiring walk.

"Can we... stop?" She gasped, placing her hands on her knees. Maggie turned to her, stopping. She nodded, silent, and Alex sat down on a nearby rock, trying to catch her breath. Maggie looked around at the dark forest. Only the beam of moonlight shone faintly through the tangled branches. She didn’t breathe as heavily as Alex, and only scanned the area in silence, upright and alert.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Alex wiped her forehead.

"Somewhere safe."

Alex raised her head to her, and Maggie pulled out a canteen that was hidden in a side pocket. "Drink."

Alex took the canteen wordlessly, drinking in large sips.

"Let’s go."

The walk didn’t get any easier, and very quickly Alex took the winter cloak off, carrying it in her hand. The cool night air blew on the back of her neck and she kept following Maggie, who walked as if she knew every rock and tree by heart. They continued to walk in silence for long minutes, Maggie confidently and with light steps and Alex stumbling and clinging to the trees, trying to catch up. She imagined that they were already far enough away from the palace, and stopped again.

"What?" Maggie sounded angry.

"We’re already quite far away..."

Maggie paused for a moment. "They can hide in the woods." Her voice was as cold and hard as iron, and she looked around. The trees where they stood were so dense that the moonlight barely shone through, and yet Maggie continued to scan the area in search of threats.

"Besides, we have a destination."

Alex fell silent, confused. She didn’t know the forest, but always assumed that there was nothing in it but trees and forest animals. There was no place she could think of to be their destination. Maggie kept going, at a slower pace.

"We'll be there soon. Hurry up."

Alex followed her, silent. Tonight, it turned out, she was doing what she was told.

-

A sound of running water reached Alex's ears, and she gasped, almost bumping into a tree.

"Water," she murmured. She heard Maggie humming in front of her.

"We are close."

A minute or two later Alex could see a glade in front of them, and she hurried to step up. Beyond the trees bordering the glade, the ground became a bit sandy, and Maggie stepped forward confidently. Alex looked ahead.

A small hut, made of wood, stood in the center of the glade. A small river crossed the glade from end to end and passed just behind the hut, and Alex noticed a shadow that looked like a small vegetable garden next to it, along with a fenced ground square. It looked like a small, simple paradise, flooded in moonlight, hidden from all.

Maggie said nothing as she made her way to the hut, and Alex hurried after her. She looked towards the dark window, suddenly noticing a candle burning inside.

"Wait," she whispered, startled. "There- someone is in there-"

Maggie didn’t answer as she kept walking. They were already quite close. Alex stepped forward, grabbing Maggie's arm.

"I don’t-"

"It's okay," Maggie stopped abruptly, shaking Alex's hand off. Her face was still stiff and no warmth was heard in her voice. "Just - come on."

Alex silenced, and they reached the door. Maggie held out a confident hand, knocking three times fast, two more, slower, and another two, faster. It seemed like a secret knock. The door opened to a slit.

"Margarita?"

If it hadn't been so dark, Alex could have sworn Maggie was blushing. "It's me. The princess is here."

The door opened wide, revealing a middle-aged woman, her hair tucked into a bun and her skin covered in wrinkles, as if she was aging too fast. Light flooded her eyes as she looked at Maggie, but her mouth remained a tight line.

"Come in," she said quickly, and Alex and Maggie stepped inside, the door slamming and locking behind them.

Alex examined the interior of the hut quickly, the fire from the candle on the windowsill being the only light inside. She noticed a small kitchen with an old wooden table, a rocking chair in the corner, an unlit fireplace, and a single bed, neatly arranged. On the wall was a curtain that remained closed, hiding a small niche. It was a simple but warm house. She turned back to Maggie and the woman, who had been hugging for a long time.

"Months, Margarita," the woman murmured. "You said that-"

"Yes. Sorry about that, Lou," Maggie sounded like she was choking a sob. The woman ran her hand over Maggie's hair, Alex recognizing many questions in her eyes.

"Were you followed?" She finally asked. Maggie shook her head.

"No, I'm sure. No one has any idea we're here." She looked up at Alex. "Not even the Queen."

Alex swallowed, confused. "What... why- I don’t-"

"She knows nothing, huh?" The woman turned to the kitchen. "Maggie, why don’t you give the poor girl a drink and explain what's going on." She worked with some tools that Alex couldn’t identify. "And then you go to sleep. It seems like both of you could use a little sleep. Even you, Mags."

Alex raised an eyebrow, trying to ignore the nickname "the girl" instead of the respectful “Princess" she was used to, aware of the citizen's duty to address the royalty by their title. But the woman didn’t appear to be an ordinary citizen. Maggie nodded at the table and sat down.

"A glass of water, Lou, if that’s okay. Thank you."

Alex sat down, still a little hesitant, on another chair. Two glasses of water were placed on the table by Lou, and Maggie finished hers in a few quick sips before taking a deep breath. Alex sipped a little of her own, not looking away from Maggie, who straightened up and began to speak.

"Your mother, the Queen, made me swear not to tell anyone about this hiding place. She said that in case of danger, I should take you to a safe place, make sure we were not followed, and return only when I was sure the palace was in good hands." She paused. "She said it could take a night or two, or in the worse case, weeks."

"Weeks?" Alex's voice rose up to a shout, and Maggie hurried to silence her. She looked out the window, sighing.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I have to be honest with you about the situation. You are the future Queen, and the most important asset to this kingdom. The heiress. You have to defend yourself at all costs, and the Queen hired me to help you."

"But... What if a war breaks out? And I can’t be there to- to lead the people? To guide them? What if they slaughter all my family and take over the palace? The whole kingdom? What is the use of me being the heiress, sitting in this godforsaken hut, waiting for the danger to pass?” Alex was almost furious, sticking her finger on the table. "I won’t agree to sit here while my people are suffering. While the palace is under attack. I must-"

"What you must, Alexandra," Maggie interrupted her firmly, "Is to make sure the dynasty continues and not get into situations you might-"

"What did you just call me?"

Maggie was silent for a moment, but her eyes didn’t move from Alex. "Alexandra." She said, her voice harsh. Her eyebrows rose only slightly. There was a spark of teasing in her eyes, but it disappeared before Alex could delve into it. "I can use Alex, too, if you prefer."

Alex got to her feet, shaking. She had had enough. "I am the Princess, the heir to the throne, the future queen of Zorelia, and you will talk to me-"

"Need I remind you who saved your life tonight?" Maggie remained seated, the candlelight in the corner flickering over her eyes. "Without me, your body would have been drenched in blood for hours, still in your bed. I received instructions from the Queen herself," she said the last two words in bold emphasis, "To protect you by any means I can. Bring you back to the palace safely. Until we return to the palace, you will obey these instructions, and the things I tell you. These are the instructions from the Queen Eliza."

She paused, making sure Alex understood the full seriousness of her words. "If you don’t do as I say, it will have significant consequences. There are things that you don’t know."

Alex turned, facing the dark window. She started pacing back and forth inside the room, nervous.

"Okay." She said at last, hearing a faint sigh of relief from where Lou was sitting on the rocking chair. Maggie was left sitting in silence, upright.

"Sit."

Alex sat down, exhaling. "So what's the deal?"

Maggie drew circles with her finger on the wooden table in front of her, pondering shortly before she spoke.

"Before the Queen hired me to be your bodyguard, I was a spy. We were part of a top-secret program designed to find out the Daxamites's plans. If there were any, we would thwart them."

"But I thought-"

"On the surface, things with Daxia were calm, but in secret they planned to take revenge on King Jeremiah for the way he won the war. He knew this, so he set up a special team, experts in espionage and fighting, to find out details of the most hidden places in Daxia. The people on the team changed every few years, and I was part of the last cycle. Each team coached the team that followed. I was part of that program for the last four years." She paused for a moment, but Alex couldn’t see her expression. "King Jeremiah hired every member of this program himself. He didn’t want anyone to know about this."

"Why?"

"First of all, he didn’t want people to think there was anything to worry about. The situation with Daxia was quiet, and there was no reason to let people think they were plotting anything bad when in fact we didn’t really know what they were planning. Second, he didn’t want it to reach Daxia. They had no idea about this team." Maggie raised her head. "You are the first person I tell this to, except queen Eliza and Sir J'onn."

Lou cleared her throat from her chair in the corner. Alex managed to see Maggie rolling her eyes fondly. "You don’t count, Lou. An old woman who lives in the woods alone."

"Don't call me old, Peanut."

A hint of a smile came over Maggie's face, and in the faint light Alex noticed her puffy cheeks, and a dimple in each one. With all the feelings of fear, ignorance, and terror, she suddenly felt affection. Wild, inexplicable affection for this person sitting here in front of her, who was willing to risk her life for her. She felt a little ashamed of the way she had behaved before.

"Did you..." Alex coughed. "Did you know my father?"

Maggie nodded. She looked up at her, her eyes gentle. "He was a good man. Very devoted. He... he loved you very much. Spoke of you with much affection."

Tears welled up in Alex's eyes, and she tried to stifle them. A wave of immense longing washed over her. She longed for her father's grip on her palm, for his thunderous laughter in her ears.

"I saw you... at his funeral," she recalled, her voice quiet. Maggie nodded again, continuing.

"The crew worked well. We were a group of six spies, experts in various types of combat, camouflage and espionage. We lived in Daxia, and passed on current information to the King about everything we knew."

"Did you find out anything?"

"We discovered all sorts of things." Maggie sighed. "I’m not supposed to expand on that. Most of the plans were related to overthrowing the king, taking over the kingdom. We caught most of the plans in time, and we managed to thwart them before they came to fruition."

"Most of them?" Alex's voice was very small. She was afraid of the next words she was about to hear.

Maggie was silent for a moment.

"They sent poison. To this day we’re not sure how it happened so it eluded us. It reached the King, in a mysterious way." She swallowed. "We think that was the time when they started suspecting there were spies. That's one of the reasons we couldn’t find the way they passed the poison such a long way to the King's table. They hid this plan too well."

Alex just stared at her, her heart breaking in more and more pieces as Maggie continued talking.

"We tried to find a cure, but his condition deteriorated quickly." Maggie sighed. "I don’t have to tell you that. You already know."

The sound of a thump suddenly startled them both as Lou dropped her glass on the floor, and a curse rang out immediately afterward. "Sorry," she murmured.

Alex looked back at Maggie, her heart throbbing. "So what you’re saying is..." Her voice trembled. "That my father died of poison sent by Daxia."

"Right."

"And..." Alex's voice wasn’t louder than a whisper. She struggled to get the words out of her choked throat. "You could have prevented my father's death, but you didn’t."

"We couldn’t find it, Alexandra, I promise you we tried. For months we tried to figure out where this poison came from, what caused it to appear or what the cure was, but we found nothing. It was as if all our sources in Daxia went underground. There was a small battle and... " She looked down. "They found us. I almost got killed. Some of us were. We had to get back to here."

Alex's fingers fluttered on the table, shaking. She couldn’t utter a word. Emotions passed through her like pages flying in a book, one after the other. She felt heavy, cement clogging her chest, her throat. She didn’t know what to feel - towards her father, towards the kingdom, towards Maggie.

"We went back to Zorelia, parted from the King on his deathbed, and decided to expose ourselves to Queen Eliza. The Queen heard our story and thanked us, and sent us away with our fees. I wanted to stay in the palace and help, so she appointed me to be your bodyguard."

Alex continued to be silent.

"Please, say something," Maggie's voice dropped to a whisper, pleading. Alex looked at the water in the glass, clear, the candlelight swirling in it. There was no sound for a long time other than the creaking of Lou's chair behind them.

"Look. I understand you've worked very hard over the last few years to keep this kingdom going. And I assume you had a... pretty good relationship with my father." Alex raised her head to look at her, feeling her cheeks turn red, her voice freezing. "But the fact is, you didn’t do your job well enough. And that's why my father is dead now."

"No, I... I promise you, we did-"

"But that wasn’t enough, was it?" Alex got up from her chair, barely repressed rage in her voice. "You didn’t do everything, and now he is dead. And I have to inherit the throne at the earliest age that a royal has ever taken office. I don’t feel even half ready, and the kingdom is facing an army of thugs from the neighboring kingdom." Her finger was raised in the direction of the window, pointing to the palace. "My mother-" she choked. "My mother, the bravest and strongest woman I ever knew, wept over my father's bed when he died. I had to see her fall apart, screaming at his dead body. My little sister, who never hurt a fly, had to lose her father at the age of eighteen."

Maggie stared at the floor, Alex's voice hitting her in waves.

"I'm not willing to stay under your supervision. I don’t care about what the Queen said. I-"

"You can’t go back there. It's too dangerous." Alex noticed that Maggie was trying to keep her voice steady. "It’s nighttime, you’ll get lost."

Alex stopped. "You're right."

Maggie let out a soft sigh of relief.

"I'll be out tomorrow at dawn."

Alex turned around to Lou, who was sitting in the dark, silent.

"Where can I sleep?" She spat, almost immediately regretting the rudeness, but didn’t apologize. Lou stood up slowly, leading her to the bed in the corner. Her voice was dry as she spoke.

"Here. I'll sleep on the rocking chair."

Alex nodded, placing her cloak on the edge of the bed. She knew this arrangement would leave Maggie without a bed, and she tried her best not to think about where she would sleep tonight. She snuck one last look at the table, where Maggie was sitting, her gaze still lowered to the floor.

-

A faint chirp of birds woke Alex up, and she listened for a few moments, still half asleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The candle on the far window had melted off, and the light that came into the room was a pleasant early morning light. Alex got up slowly, sat down on the bed, her face buried in her hands.

Quiet footsteps sounded against the floor made her raise her head, discovering a gray cat walking towards her. He leaped onto the bed beside her and examined her, his eyes green and curious, and a white spot was on the tip of his tail. He looked around, yawning, and lay down on the warm dent she had lain in just moments before. She ran a careful hand over his back, and he purred quietly.

"Where were you last night?" She murmured, her hand running over his soft fur.

She looked around the room again. Lou was nowhere to be found, but Maggie was curled up in a ball on the upholstered rocking chair. Instead of her usual uniform, she wore a long, white sleepshirt. Alex could hear slight snoring, and her heart filled with affection even before she remembered last night's events.

She couldn’t afford to feel anything positive towards Maggie. She was part of the team that abled her father's death, that could have stopped it but failed. Indirectly, of course, but... still. Something in her felt drained, as if she had been looking for a character, anything physical, that she could stand in front of and blame for her father's death, and now that she found one, she felt too overwhelmed, wanting to hate her so much but not being able to. It was Maggie, the person who Alex desperately tried to understand her feelings for, ever since she met her, the person who no matter what she did, the dominant emotion Alex felt towards her was always positive. It made her feel nauseous, as the emotions mixed in her stomach. It hadn’t been long and the wound of her father's death was still open and bleeding. She noticed Maggie's fingers resting, long and clean, on the arm of the chair. She looked so innocent, so sweet, and Alex was overwhelmed with guilt, mercy, and gratitude. Her head still ached and she rubbed her temples, rising up.

It didn’t matter what she felt or didn’t feel towards Maggie. She needed to go back to the palace, now.

She got ready quickly, quietly leaving the house, closing the door behind her. In the daylight, the glade looked stunning in its beauty, with a few plots of grass on the hard ground, and the surrounding forest trees forming an almost complete circle. The air was clear and clean, and she heard the water of the stream flowing behind the hut. She was pondering whether to go freshen in the creek waters before setting off, when a sound behind her startled her.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Lou emerged from behind the hut, slamming a large metal bucket back on the ground. "I didn’t mean to scare you."

Alex coughed in embarrassment. She almost forgot that she was here too. Lou rubbed her hands, looking at Alex ready to leave.

"So, you're going?"

"Yes," Alex raised her head slightly. "If they need me in the palace, I must show up."

Lou shook her head, a bitter smile appeared on her face. "Don’t be offended, honey, but no one needs you in the palace."

"Excuse me?"

"What will you do? The palace has a Queen and guards. They are responsible for what happens. Will you fight alongside the guards? Will you give orders?" Lou turned back, taking a large sack on her back. "The best thing for you to do right now is to stay here, like Maggie said. Don't be daft."

Alex swallowed her pride, confused. No one had ever spoken to her like that, not even the people who were allowed to. Lou walked away, and she hurried after her.

"If the situation gets out of hand, I can fix it. I can manage the-"

"Listen, honey, I need to feed my chickens. I don’t care what stories you tell yourself, but try not to disturb me when I'm in the middle of taking care of my animals."

Alex's mouth opened in shock, and she looked at Lou as she turned to the area behind the hut. She hurried after her, finding a small coop that contained eight or nine chickens, and another coop with two goats. Lou began to scatter the food from the bag into the coop, and the chickens happily swooped on it. Alex cleared her throat, tightening the winter cloak around her body.

"I'm going. Please thank Miss Sawyer."

Lou didn’t answer. Alex stopped in the middle of turning around, confused.

"I’m-"

"I’ve heard you."

A slight redness covered Alex's cheeks, and she turned again, carrying the little pride she had left as she walked away.

"You know," Lou's voice stopped her, but she didn’t turn back. She heard the sound of the sack being thrown on the ground next to the hut, and a few heavy footsteps. "Your father's death wasn’t the fault of anyone but those who wanted his death."

"What do you know about my father?" Alex hissed, still with her back to Lou. She heard a quiet sigh.

"You're right. I know nothing about your father." She was silent for a moment. "Not anymore, anyway."

That made Alex turn around. "What do you mean?"

Lou shook her head, turning to pick up a mattock. "Nothing. Your father was the king, and now he is gone."

"I know that." More than angry, more than offended, Alex was curious. Did Lou know about her father?

"Well, then, there's nothing more to add. He's gone, and-"

"You know about my father?"

Lou turned to the small vegetable garden, hitting the damp ground with the mattock. "I know nothing about your father."

"Mrs-"

“It’s Miss.”

"What is going on here?"

Alex turned sharply. Maggie stood with her constant uprightness, dressed in the usual stretched uniform. Her gaze was penetrating as she looked at both of them, and Alex almost pointed at Lou as if to say 'she started it!'. Lou hadn’t looked up from the ground she was mindlessly digging in.

"I'm on my way to the palace." Alex straightened up, running a hand over her cloak. "You’re welcome to join if you think I’ll need your help."

"You're not going anywhere." Maggie's voice was almost effortless, as if she knew Alex would do nothing without her permission. Alex frowned.

"The palace is under attack. I have to go there and see if-"

"No one will need you." Maggie repeated Lou's words. "You need to stay safe."

"No." Alex began to walk away.

"Alexandra." Maggie's voice was firm, unmistakable. "Enter the hut now."

Alex found herself fighting against an invisible force. Maggie, her guard, who had no authority over her in any way, was instructing her to do something in such a brazen tone, and Alex was still considering doing as she said? Ridiculous. Alex closed her eyes.

What would her father say?

She suddenly saw him, as if he was standing in front of her in the middle of that glade, the crown on his head glistening in the sunlight, and his bearded smile warm, giving her strength.

"Alex," he would whisper to her, amused. "My stubborn girl. You will be the best Queen Zorelia has ever seen."

Alex opened her eyes, surprised to find her cheeks wet. Maggie stood in front of her, her gaze worried but still firm. Alex turned around to Lou, who was still mercilessly herding in her garden.

"What do you know about my father?"

Lou looked up, recognizing Alex's hoarse voice, her wet eyes. She sighed, setting the mattock aside.

"Let's go in. I'll make you tea."

-

Maggie peeked out the window for the eighth time. "The area seems clear. I will go out and do a quick scan." She looked at Alex. "You will stay here with Lou. If they attack you, Lou-" she looked straight at Lou, who nodded once. Maggie was silent, nodding too. Alex wondered what that meant, but said nothing.

"You'll be back, right?" Despite the anger, Alex worried about Maggie. The possibility of Maggie being attacked in the woods suddenly seemed scary. Alex almost wanted to offer her to go with her, even though she couldn’t serve her better than Maggie knew how to defend herself. Maggie's eyes softened as they looked at Alex.

"Of course, Princess." She bowed deeply, as she did on the day they met. Alex’s heart fluttered, and Maggie was already outside, the door slamming softly behind her.

Lou sat at the table, two thin metal cups filled with brown liquid in her hands.

"Drink, it's good for the heart."

Alex sipped out of politeness, but the drink turned out to be delicious and rich. She sipped again.

"Please. What do you know about my father?"

Lou sighed, staring at the wooden table. Alex blinked, the image of Maggie in front of her in the exact same position just the night before flashing in her mind. She wondered if they were blood-related.

"Your father... King Jeremiah. I knew him." She shook her head. "Or rather, he knew me. I didn’t know much about him. I hardly knew he was a prince, until... well, maybe I should start at the beginning."

Alex was confused, but didn’t say a word. She ran a careful finger over the rim of her glass, waiting. Lou used the word prince, which means she knew him before he was crowned.

"We lived in Dupworth. My father had an inn in town. I was young, I didn’t know much about anything. We were a simple family. My parents, me, and my older brother. He admired Dad, and grew up to be just like him." Lou let out a bitter chuckle.

"Mom was the cook, in charge of the kitchen, she had a team of maids. They cooked for everyone in the inn. When I was little I helped them, but when I grew up my mother put the laundry in my hands. Piles upon piles of white sheets I had to scrub and clean. Dirty work, but it was the family business. My dad was the manager, my mom the cook, I was the laundress, and my older brother was the bartender in the inn's pub." She paused for a moment. "It also was where he started to drink. But I’m getting ahead of myself."

"One night, at a late hour, a mysterious young man arrived at the inn, wearing a hood that covered his face. He put down a large gold sack on the counter and asked for the most remote and private room. The meals were brought to his room, and he took out the dirty sheets himself, replacing them with a pile I would place in his doorway. He was the most intriguing man in the inn, and everyone wondered what brought him there. Many theories started to spread, but couldn’t be proved - the man was stuck in his room at all hours of the day. He stayed in our inn for many weeks. Someone said they saw him go out once, but couldn’t verify it. So, I decided to take action. I knew when he was going out to get the sheets I was laying for him, so I hid and waited for him. When he opened the door, I saw his face. He was a young man, about my age, and looked very tired. He took the pile of food and the bedding I placed there, and hastened to close the door."

"I kept lurking at him. I'm not proud of that, but at the time I was just a young girl. I didn’t know any better. I knew he was opening the door twice a day to take his meals. Every time he opened the door I was able to peek at his face again, until I knew it by heart." Lou's voice dropped to a whisper, and she looked into her glass, as if seeing his face in the liquid.

"He was the most handsome man I've ever seen. I knew nothing about him, but a passion gripped me, to get to know him, to hear his voice. I followed him day and night. I was negligent in my work because I decided to sit and wait for him to open the door. He never noticed me."

"One evening, my father was drunk, as usual. He sat in the inn’s pub and drank with his friends. They laughed and sang loudly, behaving like savages. I passed by only for a minute, but my father noticed me, called me to come. He wanted me to..." she started to stutter, then went quiet. Alex realized what she meant, and carefully placed her hand close to Lou's.

"I'm sorry."

Lou nodded, exhaling. "Not that any of that matters now. He died a long time ago, the bastard."

"I refused, of course, and got beaten. He beat me many times, said I was an embarrassment for him, that I was useless. When he finished, he threw me off the stairs. These actions weren’t new to me. He often did that, declared me as his property, mocked me. God knows how I managed to survive the beatings he gave me every time. "

"I ran away from there to the only place I felt safe. The corner in front of Jeremiah's room." Despite the dark story, her eyes were flooded with light as she said his name. "He found me there, trembling with fear. I will never forget how he reached out carefully, how he helped me to get up and led me to his room. He laid me down on the bed, stayed with me until I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning, and found him sleeping on the floor. When he awoke, he asked if I was well, the first person my whole life who took care of me. His eyes were brown, with a glimmer of green." She looked up. "Just like yours."

Alex nodded. She was aware of the similarities between her and her father. Alex looked like Jeremiah- the eyes, the chin, the thin fingers, and Kara looked like Eliza- the light hair, the blue eyes, the high cheekbones. A sharp pain of longing attacked her as she thought of her family.

"He insisted I’d stay in his room. He took care of me, brought me some of his meals, let me rest while he slept on the hard floor. I didn’t dare ask him a thing for days, I just watched him work."

"What did he do in the room?" Alex couldn't help but ask the question that bothered her throughout the story. Lou shook her head.

"He had some books, and he read them. He had a blank book in which he wrote. He seemed to be doing some kind of research. I didn’t ask him about it and he didn’t volunteer information. Either way, I couldn’t read a thing. I didn’t know written words."

"We started talking. He was... he was the most interesting person I've ever met. Humble, incredibly smart, pleasant. I didn’t want to leave the room. New beddings arrived, so I realized I had been replaced. My parents probably didn’t care. Maybe they thought I died from the beatings, or that someone took me away. But Jeremiah didn't care what people thought outside. He wanted me to stay with him. He said he hadn’t had any friends for too long. He enjoyed my company."

"So I stayed." A smile rose to her lips. "He taught me to read, and I sewed his torn shirt for him. We talked, mostly about me and my life, and other things. He didn’t share about his life, and when I asked him he said I better not know. We stayed in that room for a long time. I needed nothing but him. I dreamed how one day we would leave and run away, and live our lives together. I longed to be with him." Alex recognized a tear on the edge of Lou's eyes, wondering if it was longing, or sorrow.

"One day, the King came to the inn. He learned that the prince was there. He broke into our room with his entourage. At first, I was terribly frightened, and when Jeremiah called him father, I understood everything." She shook her head. "I was disappointed and shocked, but even more I felt betrayed. I longed for him from a distance for so long, spent time with him, and the things I told him..." Her fingers clenched into her fist. "He didn't say a word to me when he left. His eyes said enough when he looked at me."

"In all the hustle and bustle when the King took him out, I managed to pick up some belongings and run away. I moved from city to city, offering myself as a seamstress, as a laundress, as anything that would bring me a few pennies. I busied myself with other things so as not to think about him. I arrived at an inn at the other end of the country, one that was more pleasant than the inn where I grew up. I was treated fairly, and I continued to live there."

She paused, got up from her chair. Alex looked at her, curious but silent. Lou stood by the window in the back, looking out at the chickens. She kept talking, her voice becoming emotionless.

"As you know, the kingdom was in a constant war for years. I lived in the south, which was a battle-free zone, but we got the news of hard battles, casualties, whole villages on fire. Men were called to the reserve. We got used to living that way. Until a few years later, when Jeremiah came to power. He brought with him a new, brave spirit. Everyone believed he would bring peace. I remember imagining him growing up; his bearded chin, his deep voice. I knew his face better than anyone else."

She turned her head to look at Alex, and Alex had no doubt she saw her father in her. She looked straight at her, waiting for her to continue. Lou walked back toward the table as she talked.

"He won the war, and the kingdom, under his leadership, began to recover. Villages were built, roads paved. It seemed we were on a golden path, with King Jeremiah at the helm." She shook her head. "Despite the anger, I was proud of him. He did what no king could before him. I wondered if the things he did in the inn room were related to his huge success as a king. He ruled for a long time, lifting the kingdom to its feet after years of war. Then one day, he appeared."

Alex raised her head in surprise. "At your inn?"

"He was dressed in plain peasant clothes. No entourage. No one recognized him. But I... I would recognize his face among thousands. Ten years had passed, and I still knew exactly what he would look like. He recognized me just as quickly." Lou sighed at the memory. "He remembered me as I did him."

"What did he want?"

"He had gone back to Dupworth, to my father's inn. My old, thickheaded father was no longer alive. He was killed in a melee, apparently. Only my older brother, who inherited the inn, was there. He had a wife, just as weak as my mother. And a daughter." Lou looked at Alex. "An only child, a baby."

Alex's cheeks warmed up, and somehow, from all the details she heard, she knew exactly who all the characters in the story were.

"Maggie," she whispered. Lou nodded.

"Jeremiah had gone back to find me, and my brother told him I hadn’t been there in years. He tracked me down, and found me. He was already married to your mother, but wanted to see me."

Eliza. She was one of the daughters of the noblemen, a proper match to a young king. After his success as a king, it was only fitting that he marry the daughter of a duke, and bring forth offspring to inherit the kingdom. Alex's heart pounded, her leg drumming nervously. She had never felt more curious, even though she knew the end of the story.

"He wanted to know what was going on with me. To know if I was fine. He said that..." She paused, as if trying to recall his exact words. "Not a day went by that he didn't think about me. He just wanted to see me again."

"He spent the night. He told me everything about his life as a king. He seemed to want a respite from everything. To feel like a simple man talking to a simple woman. I think with Eliza he never felt that way, even though he loved her more than me."

"Did you two..." Alex coughed in embarrassment, and Lou let out a bitter snicker.

"I hope I don’t disappoint you, Princess. Your father has always been the conservative type."

"The next morning he set off, but not before leaving me a sack of money. He said that if I ever got into trouble, I should go to the palace and he would take care of me. I felt comfortable where I was, but it was good to know the king himself was willing to help a simple woman like me."

"I went back to Dupworth. My brother was like a copy of my father; drunk, arrogant, violent. Maggie was three years old. I knew that if she stayed there, she would have a worse fate than my own. In the dead of night, I snuck into her room." Lou looked down, a little ashamed. "I took her."

"And thank God you did," came a voice from outside, and the wooden door opened wide. Maggie stepped inside, her smile radiant as ever. "Who knows what would have happened to me if I had stayed there."

"Maggie," Alex let out a sigh full of relief. She fought the urge to run and hug her, but remained in her chair, drawing comfort from her familiar face. Her cheeks warmed up again when she realized she called Maggie by her first name.

"You came back fast," she said eventually, tilting her head down. Maggie nodded.

"I ran. I needed to loosen my legs."

Lou looked back at Alex, continuing her story.

"After I took Maggie, we moved here, to this hut in the woods. Close enough to the palace, if we needed help, and hidden enough so no one would find us." Lou leaned back in her chair, smiling at Maggie. "This is where we lived, until Maggie decided to go enlist as a guard. There she was recruited to the special staff.”

Alex looked at Maggie. "Did my father know who you were?"

Maggie nodded. "Yes. Maybe that's why I was his favorite soldier." She smiled lightly and walked over to Lou, placing her hand on her shoulder. "He never admitted it, of course. But I knew he saw me as a daughter."

Alex looked at them both, her mind laden with the information she just heard. She rubbed her eyes, trying to connect pieces of information to each other. There were so many more things she wanted to ask. She looked up at Maggie, trying to understand from her expression the findings she had discovered.

"What did you-"

"I'm afraid it's still impossible to go back to the palace."

Alex got up at once, startled. "You mean the Daxamites-"

"They are still there. Battalions have been called to the palace, but the Daxamites are many. The battle has not yet been decided." Maggie stared at Alex's, trying to be as reassuring as possible. "You are safe and secure with me and Lou."

"Me? Who cares about me? What about my sister? My mother? What about J’onn?" Alex's voice was desperate, hoarse with fear, and Maggie hurried to reach for her arm.

"I couldn’t find them. I'm sure there are a fair amount of guards watching over them now, and the most important thing-"

"I have to go out. Now, I have to- I have to be there-"

"Alex." Maggie's hand tightened on Alex's arm. "Please, listen to me. You need to stay calm. You need to stay here, with me and Lou, until our soldiers can-"

"No! God, you-" Tears welled up in Alex's eyes, and her gaze became furious. She shook her head. "You really don’t understand what a family is, do you? People that are close to you, who may die at any moment, and you have no way to save them... hundreds of Daxamites are looking for them at the moment! You have no idea what it’s like-"

Alex felt it before she realized what was happening. She saw Maggie's hand pulled back and before she could defend herself, she felt it land on her cheek with a ringing slap, making her take a step back.

"Don't you dare," Maggie’s voice trembled in a way she had never heard before. "Talk about the family I have or don't have ever again, or so help me God-"

"Maggie," Lou's voice was deterring. Maggie walked back heavily. Alex grabbed her reddening cheek, too overwhelmed to speak.

Maggie straightened up, her hands on her uniform. "We’re staying here, Princess. Until I decide." Her eyes focused on a point just above Alex's shoulder. "Your safety is my main concern right now. You must believe me."

She finished talking and turned around, and without saying another word or looking at any of them she opened the wooden door and went outside. A thumping sound was heard from the back as a large iron barrel hit the ground. Alex heard the goats bleating in panic, the chickens rattling their wings. She looked out the window, feeling more lost than ever.

She continued to grab her cheek, accepting with a blank stare the cool cloth Lou had handed her to cling to her burning cheek. As she held it tight, she wondered what was burning more: her cheek, the insult, or the fact that she had to trust the person who was responsible for saving her father's life, and was now in charge of her own safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slight mention of domestic abuse


	4. Chapter 4

The small stream that passed through Lou's glade had three main advantages:

It produced a rather soothing sound.

The water was clear, for drinking or bathing, and was pleasant to use.

It went far enough so that Alex wouldn’t have to sit right next to the hut, and was still close enough for her not to go too far.

Alex's feet were now dipped in the running water, and she looked at the rivulets running over her feet, noticing the moon that just came out reflected in them.

Many hours had passed since Maggie snapped at her. The water helped her calm down, and She leaned her back on one of the rocks next to the creek, thinking feverishly. The worry gnawed deep holes in her, but she tried to stay calm, waiting for the moment when Maggie would let her know they could go back to the palace. She wanted nothing more than to go back to her mother and sister, to know they were safe and sound.

She took a deep breath, the cool evening air filling her lungs. The lucidity gave her a little strength, but along with the air came the smell of cooking. She glanced at the hut behind her. A strong smell of food came out of the chimney and the open window, and Alex's mouth watered, reminding her that for too long no food had come into her mouth.

On the other hand, there was nothing that would make her spare her honor and go to the hut before she really had to. If Maggie hadn’t been responsible for her well-being, she would’ve been let go a long time ago, or worse, put in the dungeon. Even royalty never slapped each other, it was below their dignity. Alex inadvertently ran her fingers over her cheek, which was already cool and pink again.

"I brought you a bowl."

Alex startled. Maggie's usual quiet footsteps weren't even heard on the rocky ground. A steaming bowl was placed next to Alex on the ground, and Maggie was left standing. Alex stared at the stream, waiting for Maggie to go back.

"Listen, I..." Maggie sighed, sitting down gently beside her. "I'm sorry, about earlier. I shouldn't have erupted like that."

"Certainly. When my mother hears about this-"

"Oh, I'm not afraid the Queen will do anything to me." Maggie's voice was calm. "But I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did. It was wrong. I'm sorry."

Alex dared to raise her head only slightly. "Wrong?"

"Yes," Maggie raised her knees to her chin, hugging them. "My family is a bit of a touchy subject. Lou must have told you everything, how my father would beat me when I was just a baby, and how she took me away. She is my family. The people I was with in Daxia were…” She paused for a moment. “I guess that when you said I know nothing about family it struck a nerve."

Alex couldn’t take her eyes off Maggie's face, her expression sincere and simple. Alex's eyes narrowed. "Why are you telling me this?"

Maggie looked confused. "Just to explain why I snapped earlier. Was it not clear?"

Alex didn’t answer. Maggie kept looking at her, and the understanding slowly wound on her face.

"You're not used to it, are you?"

"To what?"

"To a stranger talking about themself like that in front of you. No asking for help, no pleading, no waiting for an order. You’re not used to just being treated like a simple human being."

It was like a kick straight to the center of Alex's stomach. Maggie was still sitting on the ground beside her, her head tilted to the side curiously. She knew Maggie was a person who had no particular respect for the behavioral rules towards the royal family, but she never thought of the situation that way. That Maggie only refers to her as another person, and nothing more.

"Don’t get me wrong, you _are_ special. More special than many people I have met in my life." A slight smile came over Maggie's face. "But you were never treated as just a regular person. You never had any deep conversation with a person who is not a nobleman or royalty. Am I right?"

With an effort she turned her look back at the stream, Maggie's eyes burning holes in her neck. She felt the need to shut herself off, so exposed, so vulnerable in front of her. She tried to take a deep breath, a little apprehensive. What else could this woman make her feel?

"I guess so." She managed to mumble. "It was still wrong." 

"True. That's why I came to apologize."

Alex nodded. "Apology accepted."

At another time Maggie would have long been on her way to the dungeon. But this was not another time. Maggie picked up the bowl, serving it to Alex.

"Take it. You haven't eaten for too long. Try it before it gets cold."

Alex took the bowl from her hands, taking a hesitant bite. The stew was good. Maggie got up in a smooth motion, starting to walk away.

"Finish eating, and we'll head to the palace."

Alex was surprised. “Me too?"

Maggie turned around. "Yes. You can protect yourself. And at night it will be easier to disguise. I will lead the way."

Alex watched her walk away, wondering if she would ever understand the things that went through Maggie's mind.

-

The night was dark, but just like the previous night, the moon managed to illuminate their way through the tangled branches of the trees. Maggie skipped from one stone to another, making sure Alex managed to follow in her footsteps, stopping occasionally to wait for her and continuing.

"So you're sure you didn’t see anyone from the royal family earlier today?"

Maggie was silent, skipping over a mound.

"No. But it makes sense. The first thing there is to be done in case of invasion is to protect the royal family." She paused, letting Alex close the gap. "You have special rooms for protection, right? A whole system of hidden corridors..."

"How do you know about that?" Alex could no longer be surprised at the things Maggie knew.

"It's not important."

"But-"

"We better not talk. They may hear us."

Alex looked around, her heart suddenly pounding. "You mean," her voice dropped to a whisper. "That they might be here? In the woods?"

Maggie stopped, turning to her. She stepped forward a little, approaching Alex. Alex could see her face in the moonlight, recognizing fear and tensity in them.

"I don’t know," she whispered, her voice a little frustrated. "But the important thing is that you stay close to me. Try to follow my pace. They can be anywhere. We'll be at the palace soon, alright?"

Alex nodded, feeling more confident under Maggie's supervision. Maggie turned and they kept walking.

Maggie seemed to know the forest as much as Alex didn’t. Alex knew a little about the stars, from the things her father had taught her, and was able to find the direction of the palace, but beyond the tangle of branches, it was difficult to even find the stars. Maggie walked confidently, but occasionally stopped, usually under the open sky, trying to find her way as she looked up, and kept on walking. Alex wondered if Jeremiah had taught her everything he knew about stars as he did with Alex.

The sound of a twig breaking suddenly sounded from their right side, and Maggie turned her head abruptly, stopping.

"What-"

"Be quiet. Someone is following us." Maggie pulled her aside, whispering, and they both hid under a large bush. Maggie narrowed her eyes in an attempt to see the source of the noise.

Alex swallowed, frightened. "You- you mean-"

"Alex, quiet."

Though she was scared, it offended her. They would arrive at the palace soon, and Maggie would have to go back to her old habits. "You should really start calling me Princess again, you know."

"And you should really shut up."

It silenced Alex, but only because she had nothing to say. She leaned behind Maggie, who rose slowly, looking around with searching eyes.

"Well," she said in a slightly louder voice. "It looks like the coast is clear. Maybe it was just an animal."

"Thank God," Alex exhaled, rising as well. Maggie looked at her for a moment, opening her mouth to say something.

Before she managed to, a dark figure, face covered with a hood, flew out of the shadows and grabbed her, a knife in hand.

"Maggie!" Alex screamed. Maggie tried to fight back, but the figure was stronger than her, and within seconds she was trapped between two strong arms. The knife glowed in the moonlight, its tip pricking the base of Maggie's neck. Alex clasped her hands to her mouth, shaking her head.

"Release her! Please, I’m-"

"No! Don't tell-" Maggie managed to utter before the figure covered her mouth rudely.

"-Princess Alexandra, I'll give you whatever you want, just let her go, don't hurt her, I beg you-"

"Quiet!" The man's voice thundered, and he shook his head to drop the hood back. A devilish smile spread on his face.

"I seem to have caught the heiress herself, and her silly little companion. Is this what they call a jackpot? Because I think I just won." Maggie tried to shake him off of her again, but he tightened his grip.

"Please, release her, I'll give you what you ask, we have money, diamonds-"

"Stop embarrassing yourself. You know what I want."

Alex was silent, confused, as Maggie's muffled voice was heard through the man's blocking hand. She shifted her gaze from Maggie's eyes to the man's mocking ones.

"I’m... not sure what you mean."

"The scroll, fool! Tell me where it is or I'll kill your companion. I can do it slowly, so you have the time to regret it." His knife moved smoothly lengthwise between Maggie's ear and her clavicle, as if marking territory. "You both seem pretty close."

"Wait, don't hurt her." Alex tried to stay regal while her eyes were focused on the knife. "I... I'm sorry, I really don’t know-"

"So you really don’t care if she dies? I'm surprised," his voice was slippery, and his knife pricked deeper, this time showing a small cut on Maggie's neck. Maggie let out a groan of pain, followed by a series of loud muffled protests. Her hand was sent back, hitting his ribs, and he groaned, surprised, his hand removed from her mouth to hold her arms still.

"She knows nothing!" Maggie's voice was panting. "Leave us alone, Daxamite!"

He just laughed, grabbing Maggie's upper body tighter. Alex watching them, terrified, helpless. "Are you telling me that Princess Alexandra, the heiress, knows nothing about the ancient scroll? That must be a joke."

"Maggie, what is he talking about?" Alex trembled in fear, but was confused. The knife advanced a few inches along Maggie's neck, next to the bleeding incision.

"Don’t play so innocent, Princess." He seemed impatient. "Tell me where the scroll is now, or your pretty companion will get my knife in her neck-"

"No! Please, I know nothing about any scroll, just don’t kill her-" Tears began to rise in Alex's eyes, and she felt her knees almost fail under her own weight. She couldn't look at Maggie being murdered in front of her eyes, she just couldn’t, she wouldn’t-

The man swung his knife-holding arm to stab, and at that moment Maggie bent her head and took advantage of the space his distant hand had given her, sending another back punch to his ribs. The man folded in pain, and she managed to dodge his grip, sending another kick to his feet, disrupting his balance and knocking him down. Maggie hurried to pick up a big rock and tossed it on his head with a loud horrifying thump. She turned to Alex, panting.

"Are you okay?" She hurried to her, kneeling beside her. Alex just opened her eyes, shuddering, looking at the still man.

"Is he... dead?"

"Probably. Although I wouldn’t count on it. We should keep moving." Her soft eyes examined Alex. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Me?" Alex reached for Maggie's neck, feeling the bleeding knife wound. Her heart still pounded wildly, relief washing over her slowly at the sight of Maggie, free and breathing. "You... you-"

"I'll be fine. I've been through harder things," Maggie tried to smile at her encouragingly. Alex took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down, gathering Maggie into her arms. A sigh of relief shook them both.

"I thought I was- I thought you were going to-" She couldn’t say the words. She took a deep breath, the smell of Maggie's warm sweat enveloping her, soothing her. She's alive. Maggie just patted her shoulder affectionately.

"I'm fine. And so are you. We should hurry to the palace."

"No! That’s where he came from! What if there’s more like him there? We should go back to Lou-"

Maggie shook her head. "If he is in the forest and not in the palace it means that the fighting is almost over. He most likely fled from there. The Daxamites are retreating or being captured in these moments. If we continue at a fast pace, we will be in the palace soon." Maggie held out a hesitant hand, pulling the hair from Alex's sweaty forehead.

"And what about Lou? If they go into the woods they can find her and-"

"They will not find Lou. No one can find Lou except me." Maggie's thumb was moving in a soothing motion on Alex's cheek. "Do you want to stop? To calm down?"

Alex glanced at the man lying motionless, and again at Maggie's worried eyes. "I'm fine," she said, her voice calmer. "We can go."

Maggie nodded as she got up and looked around. "This way," she said quietly, starting her walk again.

They went into the woods again, and Alex kept her eyes on Maggie's back, letting her lead her to the winding roads, guard her with her life.

-

The smell of soot and smoke greeted them as they arrived at the edge of the woods, and a great commotion was heard in the distance. Alex hurriedly grabbed Maggie's wrist, stopping her.

"What does that mean? The Daxamites are still here?"

"We can’t know for sure. We will have to enter through a hidden corridor." She turned to Alex. "What's the closest corridor from here to the palace?"

Alex looked at the tall palace spiers she could see from their place next to the entangled trees. "Rear eastern tower, hidden door in the wall."

"Can you open the door?"

"Yes, of course."

Maggie looked back at the palace, examining the possibility of being caught while walking to the tower. Alex looked at her, and suddenly remembered.

"Hey, can I ask something?"

Maggie turned at her, curious.

"That scroll that the Daxamite talked about. Do you know anything about it?"

Maggie sighed, looking back at the palace. She was silent for a few moments.

"Yes. And I will tell you. But now is not the time." She began to walk slowly, their way weaved and planned in her mind.

"We will run two hundred yards in this direction, and immediately after that, we will turn to the right. If we don’t get caught, we will reach the eastern tower within minutes." She turned to Alex, looking into her eyes.

"If the Daxamites come, I'll attack them so you can run. Do not try to fight, do not try to get them to release me. The most important thing is your safety. Understood?" Maggie's hand sent to grip Alex's neck, her thumb at the base of her jaw. It was an intimate gesture, and Alex felt her heart pounding harder, and not for what awaited them in the palace. Maggie’s eyes were focused, piercing through her.

"You are the most important asset to this kingdom. Never forget it. Never. Do you understand me?"

Alex nodded. "Run, don’t fight, don’t let them catch me."

Maggie smiled at her. "That’s my Princess."

They went out into the night, reaching the hidden door in minutes, and disappeared behind it, as if they were never there.

-

The system of hidden corridors in the palace was ancient and complex. Centuries earlier, when the palace was built, the order was given to build a system of protection for the palace residents. Alex knew these corridors, but had never used them in a case of invasion. Excitement and anxiety burned in her together, and she tried to take a deep breath while walking fast. They were protected here, although not for certain.

She and Maggie hurried down a narrow, dark corridor where the torches were lit. Maggie looked at the burning fire, and Alex noticed a small tremor going through her. She said nothing while Maggie took a step back from the fire.

"Why don’t you take one and light our way while you lead?"

Alex took the first torch in her hand, holding it forward as she began to walk along the stone corridor.

"They were lit recently," Maggie said quietly as they continued walking. "It means someone passed through here."

"Not sure anyone on our side lit them."

"Good thinking," Maggie noted behind her. "Keep going."

They reached an intersection in the corridors, and Alex looked at the various paths, hesitantly.

"Where are we trying to get to?"

"Do you have a room of your own for protection? Or maybe for the royal family in general?"

"What if they got there too?"

Maggie stepped forward, the torch light flickering across her face. "We'll take that risk. Now, we just have to get there. Make sure your family's okay, too."

Alex looked down the dark corridor to her right. "There."

The torch in Alex's hand illuminated their path, and she navigated their way through the narrow corridors, ascending the stairs and opening more stone corridors by pushing bricks or hidden passages, Maggie following her in silence. They reached a wider corridor, with small windows. The full moonlight came in through and Alex peered through one carefully.

"Look," she murmured. Maggie leaned in and they were able to see rows of people tied in chains while guards in black armor patrolled around them.

"Those are the Daxamites," Maggie said, relief filling her voice. "The guards managed to catch them."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Alex almost leaped with joy. She began to walk faster down the hall. "We have to get out of here."

"Wait," Maggie hurried after her. "That doesn't mean all the fighting is over. It's better to be careful." She peeked through another window again. "What's the fastest way to the room you’ve mentioned?"

Alex thought quickly. "Through here, left, and left again."

"We'll go there. Then we'll see what's next"

They marched quickly, turning in the right direction with Alex on the lead. Finally, they reached the hidden door inside, and Alex placed the torch on an empty torch stand, turning to stand next to Maggie. Alex looked at her apprehensively before opening the door but Maggie nodded at her, an encouraging smile on her face.

"I'm with you, Princess."

"You called me Princess again." Alex's hand was on the brick that opened the door, but she hadn't pushed yet. Maggie raised an eyebrow.

"I thought that's what you wanted."

It was what she wanted. To receive the respect she deserved as a royal. To put Maggie and her extraordinary behavior in her place.

To make her mother proud, to behave as she had been taught.

But Maggie's eyes were so pleasant, they enveloped her so peacefully. She had never felt more secure than when she looked into Maggie's eyes, when she felt her protective hand on her shoulder. She was the Princess, no one in the kingdom was more protected than her. Still, Maggie was the only one who managed to really make her truly feel safe. Not only did she protect her from bad hazards, risking her own life, but she also looked her in the eye. She knew and found herself attracted to Maggie in an almost uncontrollable way. The way she recoiled from it at first had almost completely dissipated, leaving only the realization that that was what kept her standing at that time. Maggie grounded her, gave her something to hold on to. She suddenly realized how good it was to have someone like that in her life, someone who didn’t see her as a princess, but as a friend. At a time like this, when she needed a friend most of all, Maggie fulfilled that need effortlessly.

"When we're alone, you can call me Alex."

Maggie's smile widened slightly. "Alright, Alex."

Alex nodded, her smile widening too. She thought about her father, about how Maggie had failed to save him, about how she had worked alongside him all this time, about how she adored him just like her. Alex's hand gripped Maggie's shoulder, her eyes wetting.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you. It wasn’t your fault he died. You did everything you could." Her voice suddenly choked and she sniffed. "I know that-"

Maggie leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her. She held her tightly, comforting. "It’s okay." She murmured, and Alex felt her body slacking, calm. "Shhh. It’s okay."

They stood still in that hug for a long time, in the dark corridor, only the beam of the burning torch illuminating them warmly.


	5. Chapter 5

"Alex!"

Kara's voice was high pitched, anxious, and Alex found herself crushed under her sister's hug, hearing her begin to weep over her shoulder. Alex responded with a similar hug, sighing in relief that her sister was alive and well. She pulled back, looking into her blue, wet eyes.

"Mother said your guard took you from here, but... we didn’t know if you would be sa- safe-" Kara's voice was choked again, and she burst into tears, crushing Alex in her arms again. Alex stroked her back.

"We're fine, both of us." She looked around, guards and servants clearing the commotion, whispers and muffled voices floating around. "Where's Mother? Is the fighting over?”

"She's outside, with the head of the guards. They arrested all the Daxamites they managed to catch, but some have escaped." Kara wiped away her tears and started walking towards the door, Alex following after her.

As if out of an instinct she developed, she peeked back to make sure Maggie was following them. When she did that, Maggie sometimes gave her a short nod, and sometimes did nothing, just looked back at her. Now, she smiled at her encouragingly, her dimple stretching, her eyes narrowing affectionately. Alex took a deeper, calmer breath.

"Oh, Alexandra!" Eliza hurried to Alex, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug, one that only she could bequeath to Kara. Alex breathed a sigh of relief, seeing her mother alive and well gave her some strength back. Eliza released her after a moment, running a hand over Alex's cheek.

"So good to see you two," Alex murmured, looking at Kara, who wiped away her tears with a smile. "I was so worried-"

"I want to hear everything, but not before you'll have a good night's sleep." said Eliza in her royal authoritative voice. "And you, too," she looked at Kara. “We had a hard day, but the danger has passed. You both need rest."

"And you as well, my Queen," said a voice behind them, and they saw J’onn approaching them, his forehead wrinkled sternly. He looked at Eliza, his eyes softening. "The guards have just finished scanning the whole palace. Every Daxamite who was here has been arrested or fled. The fugitives, hopefully, will be found and arrested soon. The palace is safe now."

"How did they get in?" asked Alex, and three pairs of eyes turned to J’onn. He sighed, glancing around before approaching closer, lowering his voice slightly.

"We hypothesize that increasing the number of guards is what made Daxamites somehow infiltrate the security sphere and let the prisoners out of jail. They rioted in the north and wanted to be caught, to be imprisoned and be closer to the palace, so that they could attack easily. But the surprising thing is that they didn’t kill any of our men. They beat guards in order to go through, but didn’t kill them. It seems that they were looking for something, because every corner of the palace they managed to reach is turned and broken."

Alex let his words sink in, pondering their meaning. The Daxamites were smarter and more cunning than she thought. From the moment that they poisoned Jeremiah until now, when they broke into the palace, they had a plan. Maybe even before. Kara glanced from J’onn to Eliza and back.

"What were they looking for?"

Alex exchanged glances with Maggie, who was standing a few feet away from them, but had heard everything. Suddenly, she knew the answer. Maggie sent her a tiny nod, almost imperceptible.

They were looking for the scroll.

J’onn sighed again. "We don’t know. They turned every room in the palace upside down, broke walls and into rooms, but as I was told, everything remained as it was. Nothing was looted." He looked at Eliza, his eyes showing concern.

"They were looking for something specific. Or someone."

Alex felt four pairs of eyes staring at her, and swallowed, frightened. She knew she was a target, but still, even though the danger had passed, she would always be a target.

_You are the most important asset to this kingdom._

"My apologies, My Queen, My Lord, Princess," Maggie stepped forward, her voice smooth and flattering. "But I think the Princess needs her rest. It's very late, and she hasn’t slept for too long." She gently placed a hand on Alex's arm. Alex felt relief washing over her.

Eliza nodded. "Right. Miss Sawyer, escort the two Princesses to their room. I'll call for a guard to replace you-"

"If you will allow me, my Queen, I would rather guard the Princess tonight as well. Make sure she's okay."

Eliza's eyebrow rose gently, and she examined Maggie. "Okay, then." She nodded, and Alex let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Eliza turned to J’onn.

"Order two guards to stand outside Kara's room. Make sure they're the best on the team. The danger may have passed, but I will not be taking risks with my daughters."

Kara hugged her mother goodbye, a new stream of tears washing over her face, and the three hurried away, rushing to the Princesses' rooms.

-

Alex closed the door behind her, finally breathing.

"Do you have a key?"

Alex had never used her key. Still, she had one, and she now pulled it out of one of the drawers, locking the wooden door.

"It's useless, anyway," she turned to Maggie, who was standing in the corner of the room by the window, looking out. "No one would dare enter the Princess's room without permission."

Maggie shrugged. "Better to be careful. Especially now."

"I don’t think an assassin would bother to knock on the door before entering here to kill me." Alex let out a nervous giggle but Maggie was silent, her gaze not leaving the window.

"I'm glad your sense of humor didn't leave you, even now." She turned her head, her eyes landing on Alex. Alex swallowed at the piercing look but didn't say a word.

"A defense mechanism, then," Maggie's voice was quieter, and Alex's heart pounded hard at the thought that Maggie could read her like that, with such ease. She sat on the bed still in her dirty clothes from the road. Only twenty-four hours earlier she was woken up by Maggie and they both ran away. It seemed to her that she had been through more in the last day than in most of her life. She looked down at her hands, finding that they were shaking, and grabbed them tightly, trying to stop the tremors. She closed her eyes, hearing Maggie's quick footsteps to her.

"Hey," her voice was quiet, steady. Alex felt Maggie’s hand resting on her shoulder, her thumb moving back and forth soothingly. "You're safe here with me. I promise."

Alex nodded, feeling her palms slowly relax, her heart returning to a quiet rhythm. She opened her eyes.

"Will you stay?"

Maggie nodded. “Of course."

Alex took a deep breath and got up, turning to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Behind her, Maggie got up and stood again in the corner of the room, where she could watch the door and window at the same time. Her posture was as upright as ever, her head taut and her ears listening to every noise, ready to defend from any intruder who might harm Alex. Alex turned around, and a small, soft smile appeared on her lips.

"Thank you, Maggie."

Maggie nodded, smiling back.

"Of course," she whispered. "Alex."

Alex swallowed a bigger smile, turning in her place. She was no longer frightened, and yet she felt her heart flutter, her stomach rumbling.

She had never felt this way before.

-

Weeks had passed since the Daxamites’ invasion, and Alex had learned about the lack of privacy all too well. Including Maggie, who continued to accompany her everywhere, there were guards on every corner (with face-showing helmets, to prevent another invasion), and in every room she entered, there were at least two more guards. Maggie continued to be close to her, always one step behind her, but guards would now accompany them both everywhere, in hopes of increasing safety. Her mother herself barely left her room, and when she did she was accompanied by three different guards. Alex was allowed to enter her room at night alone, but in the morning another guard was immediately placed beside her and Maggie. The palace staff was busy renovating and repairing, to return the palace to its regular activities as fast as possible, but stern-looking guards were still everywhere she went.

She wouldn’t care, if not for the problem that haunted her now - wanting to spend time alone with Maggie.

She wanted to know more about the scroll, about the reason for the invasion, about her father. She wanted everyone to leave her alone, leave her alone with Maggie, so she could spend time with her, hear from her all the things she wanted to learn. Maybe even be able to talk to her again, not just about urgent matters. In fact, Alex was desperate for time alone with Maggie if only for a few minutes, for the sake of the connection itself. She didn’t care if they talked or kept quiet, she just wanted to be near her, her and no one else. She felt knocked down, empty, powerless. Even with Kara, the person closest to her, who she always told everything to, she couldn’t find the energy to talk about what she was going through. She wanted to fix herself, and didn’t know how, and didn’t have time. She was busy every day with preparations and royal studies, which were updated and intensified daily, and at night she needed sleep, to accumulate strength for the next day.

Although recently, night hadn’t been of much use. She couldn't remember the last night she had fully slept.

Alex never had nightmares. She never had anything to fear - she lived her peaceful life as a princess in an untroubled palace, with an array of guards ready to protect her at all times, with a loving family, and all her needs were fulfilled. But now, her father was dead (or as she recently learned, murdered), and she and her entire family and kingdom were in constant danger. No one could assure her that Daxia wouldn’t win this battle over Zorelia. She found herself dreaming of sharp knives, poison, an arrow shot right at her; all the ways she could die. Huge, consuming fires, and an army, galloping up the mountains towards her kingdom. Ruined, abandoned Zorelians cities. Occasionally screams crept into her nightmares, and she awoke, drenched in sweat, wondering if the screams she had heard were her own.

She wasn’t used to nightmares, but for the past two weeks, she had experienced them almost every night. Every morning she got out of bed, her face gray and hopeless, and tried to get through the day in peace, until the next time she had to sleep, and went through everything all over again.

And on top of all that, she never found a minute to talk to Maggie. There were always more people with them, guards, servants, royalty. There were whole days when they didn’t exchange a word. At times, it was enough for Alex to just look at Maggie's face and draw a little confidence and strength, but the desire to talk to her, or even just to feel her touch, kept poking her more and more, her stomach hardening like concrete as she thought of it.

At times, just the thought of Maggie gave her the calm she needed to fall asleep. And sometimes, even that wasn’t enough.

Alex rolled over heavily in her bed, listening to the wind howling through a crack in the window. She sighed, straightening on the soft mattress. She had no chance of falling asleep, not in constant fear of what sleep would bring with it.

She took a small lantern that stood by her bed, and walked to the far end of the room. She pushed lightly on a low stone, and a door to a secret corridor has opened. Going out through the regular wooden door would require the guard standing there to accompany her, or worse, convince her to go back to bed, and she wasn’t ready for it. A short walk through the stone corridor would lead her to a hidden terrace, where she could breathe some air, alone.

The small terrace looked over the moonlight-flooded royal garden, and Alex placed the lantern on the stone bench, leaning against the railing to look out.

It would be so easy to kill her now. She was exposed, defenseless, without guards. A precise arrow sent from the edge of the garden, and she would fall dead. They probably wouldn’t even find her by morning. A shiver went through her, and not because of the cold. She hugged her robe tighter around her.

Back then, in the woods, which seemed to her now like years ago, she remembered the touch of Maggie's hands on her arms. How warm they were, despite the frost outside. How much she longed to feel them again.

She spent all day with her, day after day, and still found herself longing for her, as if she hadn’t seen her for ages.

Three knocks on the stone wall sounded behind her, and she turned sharply.

Maggie, in her stretched uniform and her upright posture as always, stared at her softly.

"Princess," she murmured, approaching slowly. "Interesting to meet you here, of all places. Of all hours." She paused for a second. "Of all days."

Alex was silent, stunned. Could the very thought of Maggie lead her to be present right there? She wanted to say so much, and the words felt tangled in her head. She failed to unravel them, remaining silent. Her hands wanted to reach on their own accord to hold Maggie's shoulders, to pull her in, but she forbade herself.

"I watched you for a minute or two. I didn't want to startle you." Maggie leaned beside her on the railing, looking down. "You look pensive."

Alex swallowed, crossing her arms tighter, to warm up.

"What do you mean... today, of all days?"

Maggie bit her lip, and finally looked straight back at Alex.

"Today is my birthday. I go out on this porch almost every night, and today-" she breathed. "Today you are here. An interesting coincidence."

"I couldn’t fall asleep."

"You haven't slept in many days."

"How do you- " Alex didn’t tell anyone about her insomnia.

"One can recognize a tired soul."

Alex lowered her head, wondering for how long she would be so transparent in front of Maggie.

"I missed you." a confession slipped through her lips, and she shut her eyes tightly for letting it slide. She heard a slight exhalation sound from Maggie.

"I missed you too," Maggie's voice wasn’t above a whisper. "Alex."

Their fingers rested on the stone railing, only a few inches separating them. Alex thought she would burn if she had to spend another moment without Maggie's touch. She reached out as carefully as possible, touching Maggie’s fingers lightly with the tip of her own. Maggie opened her fingers to the touch, like blooming flower petals, holding Alex's fingers.

She was wrong. Touching Maggie - that's what would make her burn alive. Not touching her was like withering in the desert.

"I have... nightmares," she found herself saying. "I dream of bad things happening. To me, to my family, to the palace, to the kingdom. Assassins, fires, looting... I've been through it all." She took a shaky breath. "I can't sleep anymore."

"The stress affects you," Maggie's voice was quiet. Her hand held Alex's tightly, comforting. "Such a heavy responsibility rests on your shoulders, and especially now the situation is getting out of control. You feel off-balance, unable to navigate to safety."

Alex nodded, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. Maggie held out a quick hand, wiping it softly.

"Let's go to your room."

Alex let her lead the way, the lantern light giving black shadows on the walls of the stone corridor while Alex's hand was kept safe in Maggie’s.

They reached Alex's room and Maggie laid the lantern on the table, helping Alex take off her robe and stay in her nightgown. Light tappings, simple pushes, pleasant caressing of the fingertips; they shared tiny bits of touch while getting Alex ready for sleep. Alex went under the blanket, and Maggie sat down on the side of the bed, her hand gently resting on Alex's shoulder.

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep."

"It's not what happens until I fall asleep. It's what happens after."

A slight smile twisted Maggie's lips. "If so, I will stay until morning."

Alex felt something so much deeper than affection, so much rarer than gratitude, so much wider than serenity. With Maggie by her side, there was no reason not to fall asleep easily.

With her eyes closed, almost asleep, she suddenly remembered Maggie's words from before.

"Is it your birthday today?"

"Yes."

"You should have said something. I would have got you something."

She heard a small laugh, a shift on the sheets. Maggie's hand didn’t move from her shoulder.

"What would you bring me?"

 _I owe you my life,_ she wanted to say. _You already have it._

Sleep, blessed and gentle, enveloped her before she managed to.

-

They continued to meet.

In the evening, Alex separated from Maggie and the other guard who accompanied her to her room, going inside alone. Maggie would wait a bit to give Alex her time to organize and change, and sneak into her room through the stone corridor. She would stay there until dawn, then say goodbye and sneak back into her own room, only to meet her again immediately afterward outside Alex’s door, ready to accompany her with the second guard.

The butterflies in Alex's chest didn’t calm down. She was always looking for Maggie's hands, her arms; to feel, to touch, to make sure she was there. In the room, hidden from prying eyes, she could afford to fulfill her desires, and knew that in daylight she would have to act like a princess again, behave as usual. Each evening she could breathe easy, as long as Maggie was with her, sitting by her bed. Just the two of them in the dim room, not a princess and her guard, but two humans. They never touched more than shaking hands, touchings on the shoulders, a light caress on the cheek a few times, when Maggie thought Alex was asleep. Alex was always left wanting more, not knowing how to ask, not knowing why.

She found she didn’t want to talk. Not even about the scroll, which she hadn’t yet understood the importance of or how Maggie knew, or about royal matters, or about her nightmares. She wanted to be silent, to look at her, to feel her delicate palm inside her own. To rest. Being a princess didn’t interest her in those moments. Just being with Maggie.

The spring came, blooming and pleasant, and a climbing vine outside Alex's window was tapping on the window with the evening breeze, green and curvy. Small, yellow flowers were strung along the twisting vine's length, and short curls of elongated leaves. Alex looked out, to the evening that had begun to fall, at the lanterns across the city that were slowly lit. She opened a narrow crack in the window to tear a long piece of a flowering stem. Behind her, she heard the secret door open and close. Her fingers began to wrap around the stem deftly, not turning around.

Steps approached her from behind, quiet and feline as ever.

"What is that?" Maggie stood behind her. Alex finally turned, showing her the handmade piece. The long stem had become a floral, green crown decorated with yellow. Alex walked over to her, carefully laying it on her head.

"I know your birthday was last week, but... I didn’t bring you anything." She blushed, her eyes shining at the sight of the green crown on Maggie's hair, of her widening smile.

"You didn’t have to."

Alex shrugged. "Happy late birthday."

Maggie bowed her head, and for the first time since Alex met her, looked somewhat sheepish. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and Alex could see, even for a second, real and true happiness flickering on her face. She wondered if anyone else remembered her birthday, if someone, anyone, knew and said anything other than Alex.

"You... do you want to go to sleep?" On the past few nights Alex hadn't gone to bed right away, and sometimes asked Maggie to read to her, or just stay sitting next to her quietly while she tried to fall into a nightmare-free sleep.

Alex swallowed. "Not yet."

Maggie nodded, regaining her upright, stoic stance. Alex could barely look away from Maggie's sweet look, in the smooth, straight uniform, and the flower crown laying slightly crooked on her head. She turned to the small table next to her bed, picking up a book.

"Read to me?"

Maggie's voice when she read was always soothing, and managed to give Alex a serenity she hadn’t felt for a long time. Alex went under the soft blanket and Maggie sat down on the armchair next to her with the old green book in her hands.

"Where were we? Ah, yes..."

Alex had read many books since she was a child. Ever since she learned to read, she was allowed to read books exclusively from the palace library, which contained hundreds of them. Most were reference books that she could study for her role as future Queen, and some were fiction she sometimes was allowed to read, preferably ones with an educational message. She loved reading; reading meant learning and understanding new things. Since she was little she searched for more and more books, especially ones on various experiments that were conducted in distant lands with different materials, interesting responses, fascinating conclusions. Alex was drawn to science, to the vast knowledge that was in the world, admiring the spectacular discoveries, eager to understand more about them. Her father always encouraged her to keep reading, studying, researching. He used to tell her that in books lay the future. She believed him.

The book Maggie held in her hand, however, was a different kind of book, one she had never heard of. Poetry. The words didn’t tell a story, nor put facts on top of each other. They expressed feelings. Descriptions on descriptions of emotions: pain, joy, confusion, love. Areas in which Alex never excelled, but she listened eagerly to Maggie's voice almost every evening. The little book she brought with her revealed new worlds to Alex, ones she didn’t need science to understand. For the first time in her life, she found new words, phrases, ways to express what was in her heart. Sometimes she would stop Maggie and ask her to read again, more slowly, each and every word creating a new world of expression for things she hadn’t yet been able to examine on her own.

Maggie leaned forward, crossing her legs in a position she wouldn’t be allowed to display outside the walls of the room. She frowned, concentrating before she began to read aloud. Her voice was soft, quiet, and she started slowly, as she always did, until she was caught in a flurry and needed Alex's hand to bring her back to a slower pace.

When she was little, Alex's parents used to come every night to hers and Kara's room, to say goodnight and read them a bedtime story. Even though they had nannies, maids and servants, that time before bed was family time they loved spending with each other. Their father told them stories of his own and used to fascinate them with tales and legends, and they listened to him intently while their mother watched with an amused expression, adding comments here and there. The stories were meant to put the girls to sleep, but long after Jeremiah and Eliza had left the room, Alex and Kara remained awake, talking into the darkness, continuing the stories themselves.

The goal of reading aloud at bedtime was to help her relax, fall into a nightmare-less sleep, but Maggie's voice was mesmerizing, and the words she read caused the butterflies in Alex's stomach to swirl even more, and her urge to hold Maggie's hand almost overcame her. She was calm, but still tense in a way she had never experienced. She couldn’t fall asleep and miss the sight of Maggie sitting by her bed.

Maggie's eyes were fixed on the words on the page, reading slowly, word for word. Alex listened to her as she examined her features, memorizing them in her mind, the flower crown still resting crooked on her head. Line after line, Maggie's reading was like waves meeting the shore, crashing back and forth, coming and going. Alex had been to the beach only twice in her life, when she had traveled to the far end of the kingdom. The sea mesmerized her, and so did Maggie while reading. Her eyes moved slowly, and suddenly wandered to look at Alex, as if to make sure she was listening. Her voice faded as her eyes met Alex's, her mouth still slightly open in the middle of the sentence. With their eyes still on each other, Alex raised two eyebrows, amused.

“Maggie?"

"Yes, I... uh- " Maggie glanced quickly back at the book, her cheeks a little red. She was looking for the point where she had stopped, her eyes darting anxiously, when Alex reached out to stop her.

"You know what, it's okay. I think that's enough."

The color that had filled Maggie's cheeks just moments earlier quickly ran out. " Al- Princess," she straightened up. "I'm sorry, I didn’t mean-"

"It's okay, Maggie." Alex smiled reassuringly. She leaned back in her bed. Maggie placed the bookmark in the center of the page, closing the book. She looked at Alex softly.

"You're tired. Go to sleep."

Alex nodded, curling up deeper as Maggie helped her with the blanket.

"Thank you, Maggie."

She didn’t see Maggie's face when she answered.

"Good night, Alex."

She fell asleep a few minutes later, knowing that Maggie would stay there until morning, her heart calm.

She expected to wake up as usual, to the faint light peeking through the curtain at dawn and to the sound of Maggie shifting in the armchair, standing to pat Alex's shoulder in peace before she left.

Instead, for the first time in over a week, she had another nightmare, more horrible than any she had ever dreamed before. She straightened up in her bed, gasping, her hair disheveled and messy. Maggie's hand was placed on her knee within seconds.

"Alex," her voice was worried but stable. "God, are you okay?"

Alex couldn’t speak. She shook her head again and again, swallowing air. She quickly reached out to grab Maggie, to feel her alive, the cloth of her uniform rough in Alex's sweaty hand. Her eyes were still closed and she struggled to open them, not to recall the horrible sights she just dreamed.

Maggie. In the woods, with the knife close to her neck. The Daxamite was doing with her as he pleased, and Alex was forced to watch, helpless, unable to help. Maggie, dead in her arms, dripping blood, her body mutilated.

"Alex, look at me. Look at me!" Maggie shook her shoulders, and Alex took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on her. Maggie’s gaze was deep, determined, and Alex's heart began to calm down as Maggie's hand pressed against her shoulder.

"You're safe. No one is dead. You're fine."

"You... you’re not- he- with the knife... and then-" Alex couldn’t even speak a full sentence, and Maggie pulled her in, her hands wrapping her warmly.

"Shhh, everything's fine. Nobody's dead."

At the touch of Maggie's hug she felt tears choking her throat. She was alive. She was here, with her. Alex grabbed onto Maggie's clothes.

"Go back to sleep."

Alex was unable to fall asleep, not now. Not after such a dream. Not like this. She considered asking Maggie for a night walk to clear her head, but her exhausted body subdued her, and she threw herself back on the mattress, grabbing her head in her hands.

"I'm here." Maggie's hand rested gently on her ribs. “I'm staying here."

"Please," Alex's voice was hoarse, desperate. "Can you..." Her mind was foggy, but she tried to rise above it, to speak. Out of her mouth came the only words that she could think of.

"Can you hold me? Please..."

Maggie said nothing for a moment, and Alex held her breath. She heard a movement as Maggie hurriedly removed her shoes and shifted the blanket over Alex so she could get inside. Her arms slid around Alex, and she raised her head to give her a place to lay her head.

"Alex." The word came out of Maggie's mouth with a soft sigh, her arms wrapping tighter around Alex's body. "Alex, Alex, Alex..."

She kept whispering Alex's name, like a prayer, like a flickering flame, like a poem. Alex felt her heart slowly return to a calm rhythm, Maggie's body heat enveloping her from every direction. She kept her face buried in her neck, hearing her name like singing in Maggie’s quiet voice. She felt her kissing gently on top of her head.

In all her life, she had never felt more secure than at this moment. Despite the horror, the shakings, the images that floated up and down in her mind, Maggie's hands gripped her tightly, rocking her slowly until she calmed down.

She raised her head, just for a moment, the tears already dry on her cheeks. Faint moonlight shone through the window, reflected towards her from Maggie's eyes.

"Alex," Maggie said one last time, shaking her head in awe.

Alex grabbed Maggie's waist, their bodies pressed from the calves that were tangled up to their noses, that were touching and pulling away lightly, their breaths mixing. She was shocked to find out how quickly another person could enchant her like Maggie did. Confuse her for so long. Drive her to make decisions she never thought she’d have to make. Not about a person like her, a person in her position. She thought of the way she made her feel. Of the way Maggie must be feeling right now.

"Maggie, I-" She swallowed, lost in her eyes. Maggie just pinned their noses again, shaking.

"Alex," she said again, as if that was the only word she could say right now. But the tone was different. Before it was meant to calm her down, then, like a poem, and now... a question. And maybe, an answer.

Alex tilted her head, pressing her lips to Maggie’s at once. Maggie let out a sigh, her eyes closed, and her mouth opened wide, her lips burning with heat. Her hands went down to hold Alex's waist, which was covered in a thin nightgown, passing sparks of electricity along Alex's body. Alex kissed her again and again, her tongue wandering into Maggie's mouth, another sigh emanating from her throat, her hand drawn up to hold Maggie's jaw gently in her palm. Maggie tasted slightly salty, but the main excitement in the kisses wasn’t from the taste but from the kiss with another person. With Maggie. She couldn’t stop herself from whimpering in between kisses, her hands fumbling around, pulling her closer. There was passion, and release, and a deep, implacable desire, to be as close as possible, for as long as possible. Maggie tilted her body slightly, pulling Alex so she would be slightly above her, and Maggie on her back. Alex sank into her, Maggie's legs spreading to wrap around her thighs. Maggie's lips were soft, probing, and her hands were held Alex's waist with light hesitant touches, contradictory to the vigorous movements of her lips.

Alex pulled away, panting. The room was dark, except for a faint light from the lantern in the corner, and the moonlight from outside. Maggie's skin was dark, bluish, and her eyes shone out of the darkness. Alex felt a burning fire in her stomach, in her chest, a strange urgency to touch Maggie's entire body, to strip her completely.

And with everything, great tiredness. Her mind was still soaked in the horrible sights she had dreamed of, and she longed to forget everything. Maggie noticed the slow blink of her eyelids and her hands moved slowly from Alex's back to her neck. She raised her head to kiss Alex's lips again, this time a chaste, delicate kiss. And another, with a slow, consuming, painfully soft devotion.

"Sleep. We can talk tomorrow."

Alex hummed gratefully, sighing softly as she rested her head on Maggie's steady shoulder.

Maggie hummed in reply, pressing lightly on her back, and Alex fell asleep, wondering if Maggie didn’t answer out of tiredness, or perhaps, like Alex, she couldn’t express her feelings in words.

The poetry book could have benefited her now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see end notes for content warning

The window in Alex’s room stayed open overnight, and a light breeze came in along with the chirping of birds, waking Alex from her sleep. She didn’t remember the dream she had, which was a good sign in itself. She felt safe. A foreign, light hand on her waist moved slightly, wrapping itself around her. She turned her body to look.

"Good morning," Maggie said, voice hoarse from sleep. Her dimple lit her face softly and she rubbed her nose in Alex's cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

Alex didn’t know what to say. Waking up like this with Maggie... It was like a dream she didn’t know she wanted to come true. She nodded slowly, drinking Maggie with her gaze. Maggie's smile widened slightly, and she turned Alex gently so she could lie slightly above her. They looked into each other's eyes for a long time, only the birds’ chirps in the background. Finally, Alex managed to put her thoughts in order, finding her voice.

"I’ve never..." Alex's heart pounded as she spoke. " I never believed that I... I didn’t think that I would..."

"Wake up in bed with a simple guard?" Maggie's smile was teasing, but sadness was in her eyes. Alex hurriedly shook her head.

"You're so much more than my guard, Maggie. You... make me feel so safe. You’re the only person who ever treated me as an equal. You see me," Alex swallowed, her eyes fixed on Maggie’s, that shone with more hope with every word Alex said. "And you make me feel things I’ve never felt. Things I couldn’t name."

Maggie remained silent, her hand stroking Alex's hair. "I'm happy," she murmured. "You deserve it. You deserve so much more of it."

Alex leaned forward to kiss Maggie, her lips tingling as they touched. "You too." She whispered, their foreheads pressed together. "You... you're still a bit of a mystery to me. But I would like to solve you, if you will allow me." Her gaze became a little shy, and Maggie raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure I don’t know what you mean."

Alex shook her head, smiling wearily. "I need to get up and get ready. A busy day awaits me."

"Interesting, me too."

Maggie giggled, a real and honest giggle, as Alex shoved her shoulder, amused. She suddenly had the urge to lock the windows and doors, to stay in this room right along with Maggie, to talk and talk until their throats dried up. And when that happened, to find more useful ways to keep their mouths busy. She stared into her eyes, her breath catching. She could look at Maggie for hours and never get tired.

"I was so blind, wasn’t I?"

Maggie shook her head, her hand stroking her cheek again. "You were simply following the rules you’ve been taught since you were a child. No one was expecting you would-" She stopped abruptly. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing. You just couldn’t have expected that. Neither could I, to be completely honest"

"Expected what?" Alex insisted. Maggie rolled her eyes.

"God, you are stubborn."

Alex bit her lip with a smile, removing the blanket over her. "I'll take that as a compliment."

She got out of bed, taking one last look at Maggie, who was still lying in her uniform on the bed, before turning to the bathroom.

"You better get up. You should be out my door in ten minutes."

She heard Maggie get up, and a rustle of sheets as she made the bed. When she came out, she was standing as tense as usual, though her uniform was slightly wrinkled. She looked at Alex apprehensively.

"Did you... did you mean what you said? About... me, and..." Her voice faded, and she bit her lip nervously. Alex approached her.

“About me wanting to solve you? Yes, I did." She looked down to gather Maggie's hands in hers. "I’ve wanted this for a while, Maggie. These feelings... I think I felt them from the day I met you. The desire to know more about you. To spend more time with you. I didn’t dare give these thoughts a place, but now, when-" she took a breath. "When you're here with me, when we're alone... I can finally name it. Believe it's real."

Maggie's eyes were slightly wet. "Real?"

"Look, I don’t know what will happen. With the Daxamites, and that scroll, and the future of the kingdom in my hands, I have so much to go through, so much to understand. So many things are uncertain. But this," she squeezed Maggie's hands, bringing them closer to her lips. "What I feel for you is true and real and stable, more than anything that is happening in my life right now. I think that you are what holds me intact right now."

Maggie nodded, and Alex's cheeks turned red as the words she said seeped into her own grasp. "I want to get to know you better, to know about you… anything you’d want to share with me. I know I'm breaking about thirty different royal rules here but-" she shook her head, her heart pounding in hope. The rules she kept so strongly until now became so unimportant in front of Maggie's face this morning. "I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. I will make it work. We, we’ll make this work."

Maggie wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in her neck. Alex felt her take a deep breath, her arms stretched along her back. She pulled back, pressing her forehead to Alex’s.

"Alex," she whispered, just like last night, as if there were no words in the world to describe how she felt, only Alex's name whispered like a spark between the two, waiting to light a real fire. Alex leaned forward to put her lips to Maggie’s, when the knock at the door startled them both.

"I have to get out," Alex hurried to the closet to get her clothes out. "Get out and ready. I'll tell the guard we'll go on without you. We'll meet for breakfast."

Maggie nodded, exiting quickly and quietly through the stone door. Alex hurried to get dressed, the memory of Maggie's lips still echoing on her skin.

-

Alex's day passed by with her nerves tense. Lessons with J’onn seemed like an eternity, the table talk at every meal was boring, and each time someone asked her opinion or expected her to speak, she answered shortly and directly, without elaborations. She was distracted again and again, feeling Maggie's eyes in the back of her neck all day. When she was sure no one was looking, she turned to look at her, sinking into her warm chocolate eyes. Time and time again she shook herself with a deep blush rising in her cheeks, hurrying to look away.

After what seemed like months, the evening came, and Alex was escorted to her room by Maggie and another guard. The two stopped in front of her door, bowing their heads.

"Good night, Princess," said the guard in a low, monotonic voice. Alex looked away from him to Maggie. Maggie bowed her head as well, but her eyes went up, looking at Alex.

"Blessed night," she murmured. “Your Majesty."

Alex swallowed, her heart pounding at the thought that in a few moments Maggie would arrive at the secret stone door, and the night would be theirs.

"Good night. Dismissed." She nodded sharply, entering her room.

Another eternity passed until the stone door opened, and Maggie almost tripped on her way to Alex's arms.

"I feel like I have not seen you in years," Maggie murmured into her hair. "All through the day, every time you looked at me, I thought I was losing my mind. I never had to stand strong with so much willpower."

Alex shook her head. "I feel exactly the same. To stand so close and... and to not touch..." She brushed the hair out of Maggie's face, running a slow thumb over her cheek. “Will every day be like today from now on?"

Maggie gave her a sad smile. "I hope not, darling. Not for long." Suddenly her cheeks turned red. "It's okay, right? That I call you darling?"

"You didn’t look so embarrassed when you started calling me Alex." Alex flashed a smirk. Maggie looked down, turning to sit on the bed.

"It's different, you know that. When I called you Alex it was because we were on the run, it was so you would listen to me, when we had to escape. I knew that if I kept calling you Princess, you wouldn’t listen to me, you wouldn’t believe I was in charge. I had to do all I could to keep you safe." Alex sat down next to her and she looked up at her, eyes genuine. "Even if it means you get the feeling you're not responsible anymore. I'm sorry that-"

"No, don’t be. Honestly..." Now it was Alex's turn to look embarrassed. "It was good for me. Refreshing. I told you, no one had ever treated me like that. You’re the first ever to treat me like anything other than a princess. I never knew how much I needed it."

She looked to where their hands were held together. She intertwined their fingers slowly, thrilled by the way the touch felt. It felt more true than anything she had ever felt. From Maggie’s mouth, _Darling_ was the purest word in the world.

And yet, along with the wholesome feeling, a sense of darkness and anxiety crept into her heart, the knowledge that even though they felt so complete together, there was a long way to go before they could really be together, if at all. There were many people to please, and titles to inherit, and in everyone else’s eyes, Maggie was just a simple guard, and certainly not one worthy of a queen. The future seemed unknown, shrouded in fog, and Alex preferred to concentrate on the present, rather than think about the moment when she would have to decide on the meaning of Maggie in her life.

"How do you think your mother will react when she finds out?" Maggie said, as if reading her thoughts. Alex buried her face in her hands. 

"God, don't make me think about it."

Maggie's hand pressed lightly on her knee. "Sorry. You don't have to talk about it now."

Eventually, they went under the blanket in Alex's bed. They curled up as night fell down, and the wind blew from the open window on their tightly bound bodies. Alex trembled in the cold, clinging even more to Maggie's warm body.

"Tell me something." Alex rubbed her nose against Maggie’s jawline, her voice quiet. Maggie smiled affectionately.

"What would you like to hear?"

"Everything."

Maggie looked at Alex's canopy ceiling, pondering for a few moments. She began to talk, at first slowly and hesitantly, and then faster, slashing, full of emotion. She told her about her childhood with Lou in the forest, how she raised her and what it was like to grow up in the little forest glade, about how Lou had to deal with raising a little girl all of a sudden. Lou raised her to be a resourceful, strong and independent young woman, and Maggie grew up to be a stubborn girl with a fertile imagination, who found her friends in the form of forest animals, trees and bushes. She was happy, certainly happier than she could ever have grown up as a child in that inn with her parents. As she grew older, she wanted to go out and learn more about the world, and Lou knew there was nothing that could resist to Maggie's curiosity. She gave her her blessing and equipped her with a full backpack, and Maggie set out on a journey alone, when she was only sixteen. Alex listened, fascinated, to story after story about Maggie's adventures.

She boarded a ship to other sea lands, met indigenous people of other nations, visited vast forests and wide deserts. She described marvelously to Alex the sight of the stars in the sky on a dark and lonely night, about a boy who had taught her to speak his language on a narrow street in a distant kingdom, of strange customs she learned from different cultures. She learned languages, read books, tasted wonderful foods and met characters of all shades and kinds. After years of wandering and traveling from place to place, she longed for her homeland, and boarded a ship back to Zorelia, returning to Lou's little forest glade.

She continued to live with Lou, but now she started to go out of the woods into the city many times, buying groceries and strolling the markets, while Lou stayed in the hut. After years of traveling all over the world, she found out about the big city that had been only one forest away from her all her life. One day, an unexpected incident with several thugs introduced her to the top of the King's guard line. She was left without a scratch and with three sturdy men lying unconscious on the floor, and he approached her with an opportunity.

"Then I knew." Her eyes gleamed as she spoke. "I knew I had found my purpose. To be a defender. To use my powers for good."

"Powers?"

Maggie licked her lips, leaning back. "Ever since I was a child, I knew I had powers. In the forest, it was just me and Lou, and I hadn't met a lot of people until I started traveling. When I did, I found that I was a little stronger, a little more resilient, a little faster than other human beings. Wounds healed faster, and I learned things more quickly. These forces aren’t mighty, but I knew that whatever I would choose to do in my life, I couldn't stay in a lonely forest glade my whole life and care for a vegetable garden. I had to use my powers. Not like Lou."

"She has those too?"

"She claims so, but the peaceful life she lived in the forest caused them to lose some force."

Alex thought about what she said. She wondered where these forces came from, and what they meant. After all, tales, parables, and legends all involved peculiar forces of people and nature, but those were never proven to exist in reality, beyond the pages of books. On the other hand, maybe Maggie's powers had a logical explanation, one that could be found in her science books, something with biological, physical, established proof. Either way, the fact that Maggie had powers didn’t surprise her. She suddenly remembered the time she was at the Daxamites’ trial when one of them started screaming, and Maggie stood in front of her as her defender within seconds. Or that time she opened the castle door for Alex, a door that usually took two guards to open. Alex didn’t delve into these cases when they happened, but the pieces of the puzzle fell perfectly into place.

"But... in the woods, with- with the Daxamite..." The thought of the incident still triggered Alex, and she clung closer to Maggie's body. Maggie's arms hugged her tighter.

"Lou says something in the sun gives us these powers. When night falls I feel weaker and slower. The frustration was terrible, knowing I had to protect you, and because of the night I couldn’t. So I wanted to postpone our exit to the palace until morning, but you insisted. I didn't know if we could spend another night with Lou without you running away." She reached out to stroke Alex's face. “Luck was by our side that night. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if something had happened to you."

Alex shook her head. "If something were to happen to you..." Her eyes softened. "Yesterday, in my nightmare, you were there. The blood..." she couldn’t carry on. Maggie wrapped her tighter, kissing lightly on her forehead.

"I know, darling. I'm here now. Everything is alright."

They remained hugged for a long time, until Alex pulled back.

"Is that why you sleep so little?"

Maggie nodded. "I don't need sleep like other people. Some nights I don’t sleep at all. When I'm weak I always have to stay on guard." She looked down at Alex. "My powers have made me the perfect candidate to be your guard."

Alex's heart warmed up. "I'm glad fate has led you to me." She placed a gentle kiss on Maggie's lips.

"What about my father? Did he know about you?"

"He did. Lou told him. Her- our family, they were like that too, and she told me that her father used to brag about his powers, abuse them. She assumes that without her own powers to protect herself, her father would have killed her a long time ago." Maggie spoke in a matter-of-fact voice, but Alex noticed the slight tremor in her chin as she spoke about the family she had run away from. "Your father was the only one who knew about my powers. That's why he chose me for the special force, and also the reason he cared about me the most. Made sure I fit into the team."

"And your teammates?"

Maggie was silent for a few long moments, her eyes glazing over. Alex began to worry she said something out of place, but Maggie continued to draw patterns on her back.

"I don’t want to talk about them. Not now, anyway."

"Of course." Alex tightened her hug. "You don’t have to."

A cool breeze blew through the window and Alex rose to close it. She looked outside, the candlelight in Kara's window not far from there shaking a little. She hardly found time to talk to her sister recently, to tell her about her feelings for Maggie. Although only yesterday it blossomed into this thing she had never experienced, but still felt like the most natural thing to her, and the emotions nestled in her, she realized in retrospect, for many weeks and even months. She glanced at Maggie who was still lying behind her, hugging one of Alex's pillows. Affection overwhelmed her at the sight. Her sister would be happy for her, she had no doubt. But what about her mother? What about J’onn? Would they approve? She would be the queen soon, and she must concentrate first and foremost on her kingdom, on her subjects, in resolving the endless crisis that sunk Zorelia like an ominous cloud. And even without all that, could a guard from the low class be with the queen? She wasn’t sure she’d get approval from Eliza to continue in this relationship. How could she convince her that Maggie made her feel more real than she ever felt?

She went back to bed, placing a kiss on Maggie's forehead. "It’s late. We need to get up in a few hours."

They lay back, limbs tangled and forehead pressed to cheek. Serenity enveloped Alex like a warm blanket, and she remained that way until morning, aware of Maggie's eyes examining her as she lay beside her. She would always be protected in her arms.

-

“Achoo!"

Alex looked up from the book she was reading. Kara stood there with a disappointed look.

"I was trying to surprise you."

"And forgot you're allergic to dust?"

"Ha-ha." Kara sat down in the chair next to her. "What are you reading?"

"I have to finish this whole pile by next Wednesday," Alex pointed to three more big books on the table next to her. “J’onn discharged me from classes today so I could read."

"I wish I would be discharged from princess classes so I could read." Kara took one of the books and flipped through it bitterly. Alex chuckled.

"Aren't you supposed to be there now?"

"I just finished. I'm waiting for Mother, we're going for a ride." She closed the book. "Do you want to join us?"

Alex sighed. "I wish I could. But I'm really busy with royalty classes. Maybe another time."

The guarding on the palace was still greater than ever, but in view of the quiet that had returned, Queen Eliza ordered to take down some of the strict procedures, and it seemed that things were about to get back on track soon. The Zorelian guards landed quite a blow on the Daxamites at the attempted invasion, strong enough to deter them. The riots around the borders had almost ceased, but another set of guards stood along them, guarding the kingdom. The Daxamites seemed to have given up. Perhaps forever.

Alex's nightmares came to a stop only thanks to Maggie, but without her, she would still have experienced the psychological consequences of the Daxamites’ attacks. Right now, she had to focus on royal studies. Soon, Maggie promised her, she would tell her the things she knew about the scroll, the things she claimed were most significant on her path to becoming a queen. Alex didn’t insist, trusting Maggie to reveal them to her when the right time came. They spent their nights together, talking and kissing for hours, and it seemed to Alex that despite the impending queenship, there were slightly more important things she wanted to do.

Kara twisted her mouth in disappointment, looking around the library. A few steps behind Alex, Maggie stood in her stoic and steady stance, and behind her stood another guard, clad in glittering armor. She looked back at Alex, who raised an eyebrow.

They spoke without a word, with only facial distortion, as they used to do when there were people around them.

_ So many guards. _

_ Better than the alternative. There's no way to know it's over. _

_ Yes, you're right. Are you okay? _

Alex was silent, avoiding Kara's gaze. She couldn’t answer. The future of the kingdom in her hands, the Daxamites being suspiciously quiet for over a month, and there were still so many things that she needed to learn, it was almost as if she was drowning in lessons, trying to catch everything before she would be crowned. And on top of all that, the only thing that helped her deal with the stress was her personal guard, whom she was head over heels in love with and probably had been for the past weeks and even months. Maybe she was not entirely okay, but at least she had Maggie to help her at the end of every day.

She glanced at Maggie who stood behind them. Maggie was upright as usual, her eyes fixed on the window glass, always alert. Alex wanted to tell Kara, the only person who would probably listen to her without judging, about her recent emotional turmoil, but she knew she had to wait. Not now. Not yet.

_ I'm fine. _

_ Well, really?  _ Kara's smile made it clear she couldn’t fool her.

_ Really! I'm fine. _

"Princess Kara," one of the guards called out. "The Queen demands your presence-"

"Yes, I will be right there." She hurried to get up, sending a meaningful look at Alex, who rolled her eyes at her. Kara left the library, and Alex went back to her book.

A few hours later Alex finished her chores and rose to put the books back in place. Maggie's footsteps were silent behind her as she stepped into the maze of bookcases, but after months of experience, she was able to recognize exactly the soft sounds of the footsteps that accompanied her everywhere. She turned right into a hallway laden with books and turned again, Maggie always behind her. Finally, she stopped and turned around, placing the books on a nearby bookshelf. Maggie stopped beside her, confused as they stood alone between two cramped bookcases, hidden.

"It's not where-" Alex silenced her with a kiss, pulling her in. Maggie melted in her arms, her hands rising to grip Alex's waist. They clung quietly to the bookcase behind them, trying not to make a noise as their hands fumbled, lips searching and grabbing. Alex stopped herself from moaning into Maggie's mouth while Maggie's fingers caressed her lower back. She waited almost an entire day, unable to wait another moment to kiss Maggie, to feel her closer.

"Wait," Maggie whispered, pulling back. "Wait, I... I need a moment."

Alex smiled at her, panting. "Are you okay?"

"I..." Maggie's gaze was desperate. "I want you so much. Believe me. But we can’t. We shouldn’t. Not here."

"No one will catch us." Alex lowered her head, softly gathering Maggie’s lips with her own. Maggie whimpered, surrendering only for a moment.

"I don’t want to take the risk."

"Maggie-"

"No, Alex," Maggie pulled back again, her eyes pleading. "If we get caught they will do nothing to you. You’re the future queen. But I will be thrown out of here. Maybe to jail, to the dungeon. Your mother gave me a lot of permission regarding you, but none of that included kissing you." She shook her head. "I want to kiss you now more than anything. But I'm willing to hold back if there's a chance someone will come in here and make it so I will never see you again."

Alex looked at her, biting her lip. Maggie really loved her so much? How long had she been worried about something happening that would force her to say goodbye to Alex? How long would they be able to hold back until they no longer could? For weeks they had been showing affection in Alex's room alone, or on the secret stone porch in the dead of night, but she would sometimes notice Maggie's fingers twitching, her eyes darting around, looking for suspicious eyes that might ruin everything.

"You're right." Alex nodded, bowing her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't... think of it that way."

Maggie sent a warm hand to squeeze Alex's arm, her gaze soft. "Tonight."

Alex placed a short kiss on Maggie's forehead before turning to take her book back to its place. "Tonight."

-

The sound of porcelain alerted Alex and she turned her head. Kara held two cups in her hands, balancing a plate of cookies on one of them.

"You’ll drop everything."

“I will not." Kara frowned, placing everything on the table gently. "See?"

Alex took one of the cups to her lips. "Impressive."

The night air on the dining room’s porch was warm, and the sisters sat down to drink cold tea after dinner. Maggie, who long ago realized the privacy Alex needed with her sister, and in the absence of significant threats, closed the porch door behind them, and remained standing inside. Alex wondered if Maggie's hearing was powerful enough to pick up their conversation, and found that she didn’t really care if Maggie listened. She wanted to involve Maggie in this, to tell her about the things that were happening to her, to make her a real part of her life. Since they met, this desire had burned in her, and only now had she been able to realize it, to name it. Her heart melted as she peered back at the glass door where Maggie stood, while Kara sipped her tea.

"Are you sleeping well?"

Kara looked at her over her glass. "As much as possible. Why? Aren't you?"

Alex was silent and Kara sighed, put the glass down and reached out to place a hand on Alex’s knee.

"Oh, Alex... of course you aren’t sleeping well. With all the threats and invasions, and the pressure of the kingdom..." Her voice was low, full of guilt. "God, how didn’t I notice-”

"It's okay, Kara, you had no way of knowing." Alex put her hand on Kara's. "It's not that I said anything. I should have told you."

"I should have asked. I'm so sorry. I feel so guilty, I said I'd be by your side, and-" she paused, closing her eyes. "It's not about me. It's about you. I'm sorry you're going through this. It's... Alex..."

A wave of immense affection for her sister washed over her, knowing that though she didn’t notice her deteriorating condition, her heart was pure. She wrapped her arm around her warmly. "You have nothing to apologize for. Either way, I feel better now."

Kara squeezed her shoulder. "That’s good. I'm happy. What helped you?"

Alex's heart pounded and she took a deep breath before speaking. "It's... something I’ve wanted to talk to you about for some time, actually. Something I have to tell you."

A cricket crackled in the distance and Kara straightened up, her eyes curious. Alex glanced at her fingers, the words she had formulated in her head in recent days lined up to sentences, to phrases, to an idea.

"It's about Maggie. I mean, Miss Sawyer. I mean... Maggie." She finally sighed, her heart beating faster and faster while Kara raised her cup to sip.

"It started when she was trying to help me fall asleep. I found that I slept better when she was by my side. I slowly began to realize that I had been feeling something for a long time... something more. Something else."

"Alex, what are you talking about?"

Alex looked straight at her, mustering all her courage. "I'm in love with her, Kara. And she is with me."

Kara's eyebrows shot up. She placed her cup on the table, quietly digesting Alex's words.

"How long- how long have you been feeling this way?"

A shiver went through Alex. She tried to go back in her thoughts many times, but never managed to think of a particular point in time where it started. And maybe everything she never knew she felt had always been there, and she just hadn’t noticed.

"Long ago. Maybe since she came here. But nothing happened until a few weeks ago. Almost a month."

Kara remained silent, peering back at the door behind which Maggie stood, upright and still. She looked at Alex with a soft, but worried smile slowly rising on her lips.

"Are you happy?"

Alex exhaled, closing her eyes. "I've never felt this way. It's joy, but... it's so much more than that. Like fireworks, in my head, in my heart, in my stomach. Everything intensifies and..." She shook her head, her body recreating the feelings as she described them. "I have never felt anything more true my whole life."

Kara was silent, biting her lips, and Alex held onto her hand, almost desperate.

"I'm not asking for your approval, but I would be happy to have it. One day, when everything calms down and we are back to normal again, I intend to talk to Mother. To convince her that- that this is what I want."

"Alex..."

"Do not try to stop me. I won’t wait for your approval, but I would like to know you’ll be by my side." Alex squeezed Kara's hand lightly. "Please."

Kara nodded. "Of course. I'm by your side, always, no matter what."

They hugged, Alex sighing in immediate relief. She didn’t know what the future held, but her sister was by her side, for better or worse. She took a deep breath, rubbing Kara's shoulders with trembling hands. An understanding bloomed inside her and she said it out loud, a lump appearing in her throat.

"I can’t do this without you."

"You won’t have to," Kara kissed her forehead. "I'm here, and I'm proud of you."

They stayed on the porch for a long time after, talking in hushed voices, in sparkling smiles.

-

Maggie dropped down with a sigh on the bed next to Alex. A hand gripped around her waist, pulling her closer. In response, she buried her face in Alex's neck, taking a deep breath.

"I‘ve missed you today. You smell good."

Alex was silent, sticking a soft kiss on top of Maggie's head.

"How was the conversation with Kara?"

"You heard it all."

"Maybe. But I want to hear how you felt." She raised her head slightly. "I couldn’t hear that."

Alex's heart fluttered, so full of love for this attentive woman lying next to her. "I felt good. I'm lucky to have Kara. It felt good to tell someone, and also to... to talk about you. It's another way to know you're real and not a figment of my imagination."

Maggie raised her eyebrows a bit. "Oh, really?" 

She leaned forward, placing a deep kiss on Alex's mouth, thorough and gentle, and Alex’s sight went foggy. She disengaged slowly, leaving Alex breathless.

"Is that real enough for you?" She whispered, her eyes teasing, glowing. Alex felt something primal deep inside her stomach come to life.

"Wait here," she murmured, rising. "I have something for you ."

She hurried to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, without looking back at Maggie's expression.

A white robe wrapped around Alex's waist gently, silk whispering around her thighs as she tied the soft belt. She ran a slightly trembling hand to straighten invisible folds before taking a deep breath, going back out into the room.

Maggie stood by the window, looking out at the city full of lights. She turned to look at Alex, her eyes widening.

"I... Alex, that’s-" she stammered, her fingers stretching and clenching again. "Wow."

"Is that okay?" Alex was shy, though she knew her impact on Maggie. She pulled a strand of hair from her face and stepped toward her bed, sitting down.

"More than okay." A blush blossomed on Maggie's cheeks and she followed Alex's movements. "Much more than okay."

Maggie stood by the edge of the bed, running her tongue over her lips. A mischievous smile suddenly came over her face and she reached for her own belt, untying it in slow motions. Alex raised an eyebrow, amused. Maggie took off her uniform, staying in her underwear only.

"Is  _ this  _ okay?" She asked as she dropped the uniform on the floor, her lower lip between her teeth. Alex blurted something out between laughter and a whimper.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Miss Sawyer?"

Maggie’s smile widened as she bent over to slowly crawl along the big bed towards Alex, hand after knee.

"I don’t know. Is it working?" She stopped with her head just above Alex's navel, lowering her lips to give her a short kiss that stopped Alex's breathing. She reached out lightly and untied the belt around Alex's waist, revealing her naked body beneath. "You better tell me if it works so I know how to proceed." She continued to kiss along her upper body, her eyes not leaving Alex's. "Constructive criticism is very important, Your Highness."

Maggie's lips wrapped around Alex's nipple, and Alex moaned softly, biting her lips. Maggie's hands tickled her waist, sending chills down her spine.

"Well?"

"It works-" she gasped, "-excellent, Miss Sawyer." Alex threw her head back, her eyes closed.

"Would you like me to continue seducing you, Your Majesty?" Maggie's tongue rolled from one nipple to another, making a damp line between them. Alex clenched her lips.

"Yes, please. You're doing great," Alex reached out trying to grab Maggie's jaw and bring her closer for an open-mouthed kiss, her tongue delicate in Maggie's mouth. Maggie lay over her, the teasing smile not leaving her face. Alex put her thumb over Maggie's dimple, the folds on her cheek vibrating under her finger excitedly.

"You started it, after all," Maggie breathed. "With this pull-down robe... God," she leaned down for another kiss, and Alex caught on fire between Maggie and the mattress, and a painful, hungry need woke up between her legs.

"Maggie... oh, God," she felt Maggie's hand slowly traveling down. Maggie buried her face in Alex's neck, panting, while her fingers touched all the right places that made Alex sigh. Her tongue moved slowly from Alex's neck, to below her ear, to her jawline and finally back to her lips.

“Alex," she murmured, the only word she could think of now. "Oh, Alex..." she sighed between hungry kisses, and gentle caressing of Alex's thighs. They moved one above the other in perfect coordination, without having to apologize, without thinking. One look into each other's eyes gave them all the communication they needed, and they drowned in each other.

Hidden from the prying eyes, they could realize the meaning of their love. Alex felt Maggie, not only in her touches and breaths but also in her heart, as if she had cut it out of her and taken it out, handing it to Alex. She wanted to do the same thing, pledge allegiance to her right then and there. She couldn’t have imagined her life without her, as a princess, as a queen, as a human being. Between exhales, she looked into Maggie's eyes, knowing she would do anything to keep her close to her for as long as she could.

Hours later, with their limbs knotted under the blanket, Alex's eyes fluttered in an attempt to stay awake, weariness slowly creeping onto her. Maggie let out a gentle laugh as she noticed Alex struggling to stay awake.

"Sleep, my dear," she whispered. "I'll be here again tomorrow."

Alex felt Maggie's fingers grip her own, bringing them closer to her lips. She curled up deeper to her side, placing her face right in the gap of Maggie’s collarbones. Maggie sank involuntarily into the touch and Alex let sleep gather her, protected in Maggie's arms. She dreamed of sunny summer days, just her and Maggie on soft grass alone, Maggie's presence and a book or two enough to satisfy her, to calm her down, and she felt more peaceful than she had in a long time.

\- - -

In the Daxamite-laden dungeon, a wide-eyed man began to scream meaningless words.

Zorelian guards approached to check the commotion, finding him lying on the floor after other Daxamite prisoners beat him down. Screaming in pain, he managed to mumble just one word before fainting.

"Alexandra..."

\- - -

In the north, great Daxamite armies began to gather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mature content scene at the end. nothing explicit at all, but it’s there, in case you need a warning


	7. Chapter 7

Alex finished zipping up her boots, standing up. Maggie had already left through the stone door a few minutes earlier, and Alex had waited a few more minutes before opening her bedroom door to allow her enough time to get ready.

"Hey." Maggie flashed her a smile. The hallway was empty except for her and Alex looked around surprisingly.

"Are you by yourself?"

"Yes, ma'am," Maggie said amusingly. "I guess the Queen has decided that the other guard is just wasting time following the future queen on her tedious missions all day."

They started walking down the hall to Alex's private balcony. "Oh, I’m sorry. Am I boring you, miss?" Alex murmured with a smile, Maggie walking beside her. She heard her chuckle.

"On the contrary," said Maggie in a quiet voice.

"Good," Alex held out a careful hand, her fingers touching Maggie's palm in the soft sway of their gait. She raised her head to look into Maggie's eyes.

"You could never bore me, Your Excellency."

Alex's heart jumped into her throat. Again that tremor that caused her whole body to burn, images and feelings from last night popping into her imagination, obscuring her senses. She took a deep breath, holding herself from pinning Maggie to the nearest wall and doing with her as she pleased. She contented herself with a light lip bite, accompanied by red cheeks, as they went out into the balcony.

Instead of her usual morning routine, they sat on the stone bench together, chatting and watching the soothing morning view. Hands were held and fingers interlocked softly, and a short, halting kiss was shared from time to time. No one was supposed to go out there but them, and they were safe for now. 

“You're closer than ever," Maggie remarked.

"Where to?"

"Being a Queen," she pressed Alex's knee gently. "Soon you will be crowned."

Alex was silent, pensive, and Maggie's hand caressed her knee.

"What are you most stressed about?"

"Disappointing everyone, I suppose," the words came out of Alex's mouth with a fluidity that she wasn’t used to before Maggie, and she had already grown accustomed to Maggie's ability to make her speak her truth and mind without a second thought. She never had anyone she could talk to with such openness, who she could love with such intensity, who looked at her with such eyes.

"All my life I’ve been prepping. I received numerous provisions throughout my life about how my place as a queen is supposed to be. About how I should behave, how I should respond and manage situations. With every stumble, I was caught and reprimanded. Everything was just preparation, and when I’m crowned, I’ll be disappointing all the people who trained me. The kingdom I will swear to serve."

"What makes you think you'll disappoint them?"

"It's inevitable."

Maggie pressed her lips softly to Alex's temple. "Alexandra," she whispered, her voice flooded with warmth. "You will be the best Queen Zorelia has ever seen. You will do great things. I believe it with all my heart."

Alex was silent, closing her eyes, devoting herself to Maggie's voice, to the scent that enveloped her in the clear morning breeze. She took a deep breath, keeping Maggie's words close to her heart.

"Thank you," she murmured. Maggie pulled back, scanning around quickly, and Alex recalled the library incident from a few days ago. They didn’t get to discuss what happened, but Alex tried to be more careful in her public display of affection, aware of the destructive consequences of what might happen if they were caught.

"About what happened in the library the other day." She noticed Maggie raising one eyebrow. "I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have-"

"Nonsense," Maggie laughed. "I already forgot."

"No, that's not nonsense," Alex squeezed both of Maggie's close hands with her own. "Maggie, you are more important to me than anything else. I can't imagine myself, my life, without you. I don’t know what I would do if you were taken from me." She felt her eyes get wet, and her throat gets choked up, but didn’t stop. "I don’t want you to think that I take this relationship more lightly than you do. I promise you I will do everything to ensure we will never have to separate."

She raised her hand to lay on Maggie's cheek. "I love you."

The morning breeze suddenly blew through Maggie's hair, scattering it back as she looked at Alex with longing eyes. "Alex," she whispered, the word charged with light in her mouth. "I love you too, you precious and wonderful thing."

Alex didn’t think twice before leaning forward to kiss Maggie. The whole Royal Guard could sprint in there at that moment, and she knew she wouldn’t stop. It all flooded her with intensity, and she clung to Maggie tightly, trying to express the happiness she felt at that moment. Maggie's palms wrapped around her neck and they kissed with a passion reminiscent of the night before. Maggie pulled back for a moment, looking around apprehensively before Alex's hands pulled her in again.

"If anyone dares to come in here," she murmured between kisses on Maggie's neck. "I'll send them to the dungeon myself."

Maggie managed to chuckle, raising Alex's hands to kiss her fingers.

Eventually, they got up reluctantly to attend breakfast at the big hall, before Alex will begin her daily tasks. When they arrived, they noticed a crowd of guards and servants speaking in muffled voices, and Alex slowed down, feeling safer with Maggie close behind her.

"What's happening?" She murmured. Maggie's hand rested carefully on her lower back.

"I don’t know," she answered. "But I'm here."

Alex noticed J’onn standing with his back to her, talking with Eliza. She started walking quickly towards them.

“Mother, J’onn! Is everything alright? Did something happen?"

"Alexandra," her mother sighed in relief. "There you are. I began to worry."

"What do you mean?"

"We didn’t want to scare you." J’onn tried to smile through his worried expression. "We were waiting for you to come down."

Alex shifted her gaze from one to the other. "You're worrying me. What happened?"

"There is... a prisoner. A Daxamite prisoner. He is in the dungeon with the others, but in recent days he has started shouting. Nothing the guards tried has helped, he’s not willing to talk to anyone."

"Alright," Alex was confused. "What does it have to do with me?"

J’onn and Eliza exchanged another worried look, and J’onn put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to be as non-threatening as possible.

"He’s been shouting your name. He demands to speak only with you."

-

Alex tried to take a deep breath, looking at the dark wooden door down the hall. At least a dozen members from the Royal Guard filled the narrow, dark corridor, and torches shone on the hewn stone walls. Alex had never been on this side of the palace. It was a place reserved for prisoners and guards, not princesses and queens. Her mother stood on one side, her frozen face hiding a worried expression.

"There will be three more guards beside you inside the room. He is chained, and has no chance of getting free."

"What about Mag- Miss Sawyer?" Alex looked furtively to where Maggie was, a few feet away, next to J’onn. She noticed that Maggie was also sending her worried eyes.

"She will come in too. The guards will stand in the corners of the room and she will stand by your side." Eliza put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "You'll be safe, I promise."

"Why am I even going in there? He's just a Daxamite prisoner. Isn’t it easier to just leave him alone?"

"He says he has information. And if he wants to talk to you-"

"It can help us. I understand." She looked into her mother's eyes, nodding. “I'm ready."

Eliza shook her head at the guards, and they lined up quickly, getting ready. The head of the guards, a tall man with a muscular appearance, turned to Alex.

"Three guards will come in with you, and four more will stand outside the door. If there is any problem, we will go in and arrest the man immediately. He is bound from head to toe, so that is almost impossible. You have ten minutes."

Alex felt Maggie's hand on her lower back, where no one could see, and they entered.

The room was lit by two torches on either side of it, and empty except for a wooden table and two chairs, and a figure that sat on one side, covered with chains. Alex sat down carefully on the other chair, clearing her throat before speaking.

"I'm Princess Alexandra. Did you want to see me?"

The man raised his head slowly, revealing his face. Alex expected to see bruises but his face was clean, except for the unshaven stubble that gave him a grubby look. Alex's heart leaped up to her throat as she recognized him.

It was the man who screamed at the trial, just before the Daxamites invasion.

"You," she murmured, her eyes widening. She glanced at Maggie, her hand standing ready on the fold where Alex knew her sword was. Her eyes were narrowed, and she looked at him suspiciously.

"Me." He nodded. "I'm sorry I had to go to such lengths to get you here."

She swallowed, stunned. "What-"

"I’ll explain, and you will understand everything." He leaned forward. "But first, I need you to get all these people out of here." He nodded to the guards. "I asked to speak with you, not with the entire Zorelia's Royal Guard."

"Absolutely not." Maggie's voice was stiff. "The safety of the Princess is above all."

"Calm down there, beetle," he said, waving his hand dismissively at her. "I don’t intend to harm the future queen."

"We have no way of knowing you're telling the truth." She folded her arms and clenched her jaw angrily. "So why don’t you say why you dragged the Princess all the way down here and we can send you back to your cell?"

He was silent, looking straight up at Maggie. "I'm not talking until the Princess is alone here with me."

"So no deal." Maggie patted Alex on the shoulder. "Get up, Princess. We're going."

"No." Alex narrowed her eyes. "He's telling the truth. Take out the guards."

"What? Al- Princess," Maggie shook her head. "You can’t..."

"Maggie," Alex whispered, looking up at her. "Dismiss them. Lock the door."

Maggie swallowed, her expression getting more and more worried. "Alright," she said at last, her face stiffening to cover the worry. "But I’m staying here."

Alex turned to the man, who shrugged. "I guess beetle can stay."

Maggie opened the door, and the guards went outside. A few murmurs between Maggie and the head of the guards, and the door locked behind her.

"We have five minutes."

“Oh, that's enough for me." The man relaxed in his chair, the corners of his mouth rising slightly as he looked at Alex. "Finally. Princess Alexandra."

Alex was silent, waiting.

"You know, I'm surprised they did nothing to me when I shouted at the trial. I mean, I was terrified," he almost laughed, raising his hands and rattling in chains. "I was sure they would take me in for questioning. But they were probably too busy defending the palace. Not blaming them. They did a good job."

Alex continued to be silent as he leaned forward to her. "Do you want to know the most interesting part?"

She didn’t answer, and he continued. “I knew they wouldn’t find anything that night. The real reason I warned you is that I was afraid their bloodlust would cause killings. They kept breaking through the border, more times than planned, and they knew the palace would be flooded with guards. My warning may have doubled the guards, but that's probably what saved you all eventually. Anyway, I knew they had no chance of finding it."

"Find what?"

He leaned forward. “Have you heard of the ancient scroll?"

Alex didn’t expect that. "How do you know about the scroll?"

"I just do." He paused, raising an eyebrow. "I'm impressed. I thought your father didn't have time to tell you anything before he died."

"He... he didn’t. I-"

"Alex," Maggie said in a warning. "We are here to receive information, not give it away."

He looked from Alex to Maggie, his eyebrows still raised in confusion. "Why does your guard call you by your name?"

"It's none of your business," Maggie growled. "Get to the point already. What do you know about the scroll?"

He turned back to Alex, stern. "My name is Winn. Winslow Schott. And I have information that can help Zorelia win the upcoming battle with Daxia."

"What battle? And why should we believe you?" Maggie sounded blatantly unconvinced. Winn still looked at Alex.

"I need you to let me, and I could show you."

"Excuse me, can I talk to the Princess alone for a few moments?" Maggie pulled Alex from her chair, dragging her to the side of the room. She pursed her lips before speaking.

"Alex, I do not trust him. I do not trust any Daxamite. Not next to you. I will not allow that-'' Her chin trembled, and Alex realized suddenly how scared she was. "Please, Alex. Don’t do this. I’ll tell you everything about the scroll, don’t do this."

Maggie's hand gripped her shoulder tightly. She peeked at Winn and back at Maggie. She thought she had more time to learn about the scroll, the one that every Daxamite, apparently, was desperate to find, and now it seemed that her time was running out. But Winn intrigued her. She had never spoken to a Daxamite before. He had a slight accent that she couldn’t recognize, and his essence was light, flowing, his pace of speech different from hers. Or maybe she never spent much time with people who weren’t royalty. She looked at Maggie again, gently pressing her arm.

Despite everything, she trusted him. Something in him was direct and decent. But before she could get any information from him, she must have her own information. Build a frame for the puzzle, before she connected the inner parts.

She knew what to do.

"Don’t worry," she whispered. She pulled away from Maggie's grip, walking back to Winn.

"Could you wait twenty-four hours?"

He looked surprised. "I guess so."

"Could you tell me when will the Daxamites attack?"

"I don’t know yet." He raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning?"

"Oh, I'm not going to tell you." Despite everything, she found herself smiling at him. "Thank you, Mr. Schott. See you tomorrow."

Before Winn or Maggie could say a word, Alex left the room. Her mother, J’onn, and a dozen more guards stood there, waiting for her to speak.

"Mr. Schott and I will meet again tomorrow. We will be alone in the room, except for Miss Sawyer. No one will disturb us until we finish." She raised a hand to stop her mother who opened her mouth in protest. "I ask that it shall be so. He has information, and we must be smart and take advantage of it. Please put him in an isolated cell until tomorrow."

She didn’t wait for anyone as she began to walk down the hall back upstairs.

"You've heard the Princess," she heard J’onn behind her. "Do as she says."

She began to climb the stairs, running steps behind her catching up with hers. She heard him panting, climbing beside her.

"I must say," she heard the smile through the talk. "That was impressive. Very queenly."

She slowed down, trying not to blush. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course," he said. "You have this ability to be quiet and calm in your manner, to speak in a tone that no one would dare challenge. Not even your mother." He was silent for a moment. "I have only seen such ability in your father before."

She was silent, but her smile widened. They reached the top of the stairs, and she heard Maggie appear beside her, her steps quiet as always. She exchanged a look with J’onn.

"Are you sure about what you're doing, Alex?" He said. She looked at Maggie, instructing her to wait on the side without words. Maggie, who was used to being outside the room in her classes with J’onn, stepped immediately aside.

“J’onn, I need you to be completely honest with me. What do you know about the scroll?"

His confused look made it clear to her that he had no information. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing important. I'll explain to you later." She put a hand on his arm. "I need you to tell me what you know about my father's death."

His gaze froze. "Alex, what... What are you planning? What's going on here? Is this about-"

"Please, J’onn. I need you to tell me what you know. He didn’t die under completely pure circumstances, did he?" Although she knew the answers, she had to hear it from him.

He looked around. The hallway was empty except for them and Maggie, that was standing to the side, looking out the window so as not to disturb. He sighed, closing his eyes.

"I should have told you that a long time ago. I guess I didn’t want to worry you. But you are right in your request to know. And I suppose you already know something, if you’re asking." He rubbed his chin with his hand.

She folded her arms across her chest, waiting for him to speak. He told her everything, the war with the Daxamites before Jeremiah and how he beat them, the special team set up by him, the poison the Daxamites sent and the failure to cure the king. His story matched Maggie's and Alex nodded, her face still and blank as she listened.

"They came to us, to me and your mother, after his death, and exposed themselves before us. Miss Sawyer was one of them," he sighed, glancing at her. "That is part of the reason she was instructed to guard you. The fact that the king was assassinated greatly distressed your mother. Miss Sawyer immediately volunteered to be your guard."

"Did you know her?"

"I knew about her." He was silent for a few more moments. "I knew she fought hard to get some information we needed from the Daxamites. She has lost... a lot. I knew your father loved her like his own daughter."

Alex glanced at Maggie, who was looking out of a narrow window. The color of the blue sky reminded Alex of the morning she spent with her on the porch and she was flooded with intense emotions. She looked back at J’onn, knowing what she must do now. Despite the excitement, she externalized calmness, and confidence in her demeanor.

"The Daxamites will not rest until they find a way to overthrow the palace. The whole kingdom. Me."

J’onn nodded at her, silent. There was no point in trying to reassure her with idle comforts. "I'm sorry you started your life as a queen in a war. I wish it wasn’t so."

"As long as the right people are by my side, I know the right path."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Spoken like a true queen. Allies are the most important asset to a royal."

"We must prepare for battle with Daxia. Make sure we have enough stockpiles of weapons, soldiers, skilled commanders. I'm not sure when we'll have to go into battle, but we must be prepared for any trouble that may come. Act as secretly as possible."

He nodded, straightening up. "Yes, my Queen."

She wasn’t the queen yet, but she felt the adrenaline pumping through her blood when she looked at J’onn smiling proudly at her. She would do anything to save her kingdom.

-

Few candles alone illuminated Alex's room as she sat at her desk, immersed in the book in front of her. It was one of her father's old science books, and she was trying to find clues or anything that could help her when she heard the stone door behind her open.

"What is that?" Maggie sat down next to her. Alex showed her the silky cover that was stamped in gold letters.

"Innovations in spatial physics," Maggie read aloud. "Is it interesting?"

"It was my father's." Alex stroked the cover. "He used to say that science is the only thing in the world that makes perfect sense all the time. Many things may change, but science has been and remains with reasoning, a solid ground. I wonder if the things written here might help me as they helped him."

She raised her head to look at Maggie, noticing a soft smile on her face.

"What?" Her cheeks blushed pink.

"You remind me of your father when you talk like that."

Alex looked down shyly, painfully aware once more of the resemblance between her and her father. She longed to hear more about him from Maggie, about that side of him she had never known, but knew they could talk about it at another time. Now, they had to deal with more important things.

"Tell me about the scroll," she said quietly, seriously, and Maggie rose from her seat, straightening her uniform.

"Before your father died he called me to his bed. He told me things about the royal family, about the past and the future of the kingdoms. Said he would pass on to you this knowledge. How to reign, those are things that Sir J’onn can teach better than anyone else. But there are deeper things you need to know before you are crowned. Things that should only concern the Queen."

A shiver went through Alex and she raised her head at Maggie, who crossed her arms behind her back. "What do you know about the history of the kingdoms?"

"The kingdoms were founded many years ago by our ancestors-"

"And before they were founded?"

Alex opened her mouth and immediately closed it. "I- I'm not sure-"

"This is because there is no record of that period of time anywhere. An in-depth study of your father found ancient records from the distant past of the land that was here before the kingdoms, of the origins of the endless war, and of the time this land was full of magic."

"I’m sorry," Alex raised a hand in confusion. "Did you say magic?"

"Yes. But the story is about much more than just magic. You see, hundreds of years ago, the place where we now live was a large continent, divided into two, and two kingdoms were built- Zorelia and Daxia. Zorelia was built as a peaceful kingdom, whose rulers were always good and pleasant to their people. It was a kingdom of scientists, researchers and philosophers. They created inventions, wrote books, built and worked hard, and the kingdom was a place for inhabitants to flourish and grow. Daxia, on the other hand, was a smaller kingdom, but full of greedy, lawless and immoral people. It was ruled by thugs and tyrants who were repeatedly replaced by assassins and traitors, and all their desire was more money, more power, more debauchery.” She paused for a moment. "You know all of this. But the things that happened hundreds of years ago have been lost in the collective memory. Critical things."

"Like magic?"

Maggie nodded. "Yes. At that time there were wizards in the country. The rulers of Daxia feared the wizards, and banned them from their land, and some were even killed brutally. The wizards fled to Zorelia, which received them with open arms. Daxia still loathed the wizards and Zorelia, and a war broke out between the kingdoms. The war lasted so long, that hundreds of years later, to this day, no one actually remembers the cause of the war. The two kingdoms went into battle after battle after battle, slaughtering the enemy and re-arming themselves, only to go into more battles. The magic was lost many years ago, and your father estimated that the wizards saw their incoming fall and hid all the magic from the lands. But they could not hide the memory of the war."

She paused again, pacing back and forth as she spoke.

“But the reason for the war- I mean, the Daxamites wanted our lands, our people, the kingdom’s treasures! They wanted more power, more-”

“That’s what everyone thinks. The truth is that many years ago things were different, and over the years, with the loss of magic, everything was forgotten. The one thing that was not forgotten was the hate, the desire to destroy, the bloodlust.”

Alex sat silently, pondering, as Maggie continued. 

"Since the beginning of the war, Zorelia's first king was at a loss. The people in the kingdom were tired, fed up with wars, and Daxia continued to attack time and time again, forcing Zorelia to protect and attack back. He almost thought of giving up, and over the kingdom, when a mysterious man wearing a cloak came to the palace. The man told him that he was a wizard, and that in his hands was the ability to solve all the king’s problems. The king was obviously desperate and accepted the wizard’s help. The wizard gave the king the power to cast spells just like him, to use magic, so that he could save his kingdom. "

"The King used the wizard's magic to end the war. The kingdoms returned to their borders and Zorelia started to rebuild itself. The wizard and the King were pleased, and the wizard decided that from then on, any new king of Zorelia would be able to use magic for all his needs as long as he was king."

"But something went wrong."

Maggie nodded again, raising her head to Alex.

"The old king died, his son ascended the throne, and from there things started to worsen. The new king used the magic for his lusts, reveled and celebrated, not paying attention to the affairs of the kingdom. The worst was that he turned out to be very similar to the Daxamite King and the decline of Zorelia began. The wizard saw that his magic wasn’t good for the kingdom, so he came to the king and told him that he intended to take the magic away from him. The king begged him not to do so and promised to act fairly from then on. The wizard, as a solution, decided to write a scroll."

She stopped again, and Alex suspected it was solely for the sake of dramatic effect. Despite this, she found that she needed a few seconds to digest everything before continuing.

"The scroll that was created by the wizard is an ancient, magical and dangerous implement, and it contains great power. It is placed in a room inside the palace, somewhere along the secret hallways, and only the descendants of the king or wizard can see or enter into it. When danger or crisis occurs, the king could access the room and the scroll, and use its power to help the kingdom, to use the knowledge, the books, on the usage of magic. If the king abused his powers, the scroll would deprive him of his powers and he would descend from the throne. Misuse of the scroll will bring the destruction of the kingdom and the utter victory of the Daxamites."

"The king, terrified of the responsibility placed on his shoulders and the punishment he might receive, left the room where the scroll was, and decided to hide its existence so that none of his descendants knew about it. The years passed, and the wizards began to hide and lose their power. Today, no one knows that there used to be wizards in this land, or that they are the reason Daxia seeks to attack Zorelia, centuries later."

She paused, letting the information sink into Alex, who buried her head in her hands. A few minutes later, she straightened up.

"So there is a scroll with magic in the depths of the Palace, intended for the use of the king alone."

"Right."

Alex remembered Lou's story, more puzzle pieces falling in their place. "Did my father find the scroll? That's why he came to Lou's inn?"

Maggie didn’t answer, but continued her story.

"Time passed and Jeremiah was born, Zorelia's next regent. He decided that hundreds of years of fighting were unthinkable, and tried to find a way to stop the war, once and for all. After his study-" she shook her head at Alex, "-at Lou's inn, he found evidence of the existence of a magical scroll. When he found it and came to power, he used it to win. The land was quiet for thirty years, until he died."

"Murdered." Alex said, her voice trembling just a little. Maggie's gaze softened, and she nodded.

"Indeed."

Alex bit her lip. She got up and went to the dark window, looking at the city lights, at her reflection on the glass lit up by the candlelights in the room. She heard Maggie standing behind her.

"So the scroll, the magic, is our way to defeat Daxia. That's why they’re after it."

"When we were in Daxia as spies, we found they’ve learned about the existence of the scroll just recently, but we couldn’t figure out how, or if they know they can’t use it without a wizard or a royal. That’s why I didn’t want you to go with the Daxamite today." She stood beside Alex, her hand placed delicately on her shoulder. "I was afraid he would entice you to obtain the scroll, to use it to his advantage."

Alex turned to look at her, Maggie's voice from the not too distant past echoing in her ears.

_ You are the most important asset to this kingdom. _

"My father was a wizard?"

"Among other things." Her voice rose up as she smiled a little. "He wanted to tell you about the magic himself. But when he knew the end was near he passed me the information to give it to you, so that you’ll know about your chance to become one. And when the time comes, you will."

"And you knew," Alex took a breath. "You knew all this time."

"I was waiting for the right time to tell you." Maggie gathered Alex’s hands in hers. "I hope you're not mad. I..." She sighed. "I don’t understand much about magic, Alex. I wish your father was here to teach it to you like you deserve."

"You did everything he asked you to do. You couldn’t have done more." Alex kissed Maggie softly on the forehead. "Thank you for finally telling me."

"If there is to be a battle, we must prepare."

"What... what happened to magic?" Alex's stomach tightened nervously. "If my father used magic, it's not gone."

"I don’t know. Your father tried to find out, but as far as I know, he never reached relevant conclusions. He estimated that wizards simply became extinct one way or another."

"Do you think this man, Mr. Schott, is he a wizard?"

"If he is," Maggie sighed deeply, looking out the window. "I hope he's on our side."

-

The heavy door creaked open and Alex and Maggie stepped inside. At the same wooden table from the day before sat Winn, his hands and feet cuffed. He raised his head as they entered.

"Good morning, Princess." He said. To Maggie he gave only a nod, his gaze conveying no emotion. Alex sat down in the chair in front of him, folding her arms.

"Well, Mr. Schott. Feel free to tell me everything you know, and in return, we can spare your life or set you free. Depending on how patient I am today." Alex glared at him. He didn’t flinch.

"I see." He glanced at Maggie for a moment and back at Alex. "Should I assume that you know about the scroll?"

"Yes."

"If so, you know the Daxamites wish to obtain it and use it against you."

"Indeed."

"And you know they can not do that?"

“Right again."

Winn flashed a small smile, glancing at Maggie again. "You’re the one who told her."

"It is none of your business-"

"I remember you, you know. You were called by another name then. But I don’t forget a face. You called yourself... Sally, I think."

Maggie clenched her jaw in rage, and she trembled as she looked at him. "It is. None. Of your business."

"You were spies, I remember, all of you. Made a good team. You found out quite a bit, from that one raid. And you ran away, didn’t you? They couldn’t catch you… and the other-"

"Enough!" Maggie slammed her fist on the table and the old thick wood cracked deeply. "You will not talk about my friends, and you will not talk about what happened or didn’t happen in Daxia. It doesn’t concern you, and you have no right to talk about it."

Alex shifted her eyes from Winn, who raised his eyebrows in surprise, to look at the crack that spread on the table and back at Maggie, who looked at the damage she had done. She placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"Maggie-"

"I..." she looked at Alex, her eyes frightened suddenly. "I'm not-"

"Hey, it's okay." Alex got up, shrugging. She knew the behavior was inappropriate for a princess and her guard before stranger’s eyes, but all that mattered to her at the moment was Maggie. She'd take care of Mr. Schott later. 

"Do you want to take a break? We can-"

"No. Let's finish with him." Maggie took a deep breath, placing a hand on the cracked table.

"Mr. Schott, why don’t you tell us what you know and we can end this session with minimal damage?" Her voice was stiff as she spoke.

"I don’t know. It sounds like there are a lot of secrets I'm revealing here. You have unreasonable power, and what's going on here-" he gestured between the two, "Seems to me like something that-"

"I will say this one more time." Maggie's voice dropped to a whisper, and she leaned closer to him. "It is none of your business. We are not your friends. You will not ask for information, you will give it. The future queen has the power to turn your life into a living hell. So if you won’t give us the information you promised you have, you can return to your cell in the dungeon, along with all the rest of the Daxamites." She leaned back again, folding her arms. "I wonder what they might do to one of their own who turned out to be a traitor... Oh, wait. I already know what the punishment for betrayal is in Daxia."

Alex noticed Maggie's fingers that drummed nervously on her arm, just above her elbow, where she noticed a faded scar long ago. She wondered what it all meant while Winn and Maggie stared at each other.

"I know who you are, Schott. Don’t think I didn’t recognize you. You’re the Toyman’s son."

At these words Winn withered in his chair, defeated. 

"Okay, fine," he said in a weak voice. 

Alex sat down again, waiting for his words. He stared at his handcuffs before he began to speak.

"The Daxamites tried to understand for years how King Jeremiah defeated them. For centuries the Kingdoms were in an endless war, and suddenly a new king came, and ended the war with a crushing victory. Did you know that out of all the wars over the years, the number of killings in King Jeremiah's war was the lowest? He won without slaughtering the Daxamites, and still came out with the upper hand. Everyone in the kingdom, especially the royalty, realized something about it was strange, and tried to figure out how he did it, and how to win it back. For thirty years they have been planning."

He glanced at Maggie before continuing to talk.

"My father used to make toys. But I guess you already know he was much more than that."

Maggie nodded.

"He would make weapons. The most horrible and dangerous weapons, and the fighters would take them to the battlefield to fight the Zorelians. He would make bombs and explosive devices, missiles and poisoned arrows. I have never seen anything like the things he knew how to make. He did terrible things, and I was his son, glorified by a culture I didn’t want to be a part of."

"You talk about him in the past tense," Alex remarked. Maggie's eyes met Winn’s, and Maggie sighed.

"The Toyman was a mark. He was dangerous. We were instructed to get rid of him."

"Get rid of him? But..." Alex was confused. "He hasn’t done anything to us in years. He didn’t pose a risk. Was it not simpler to bring him to justice and imprison him?"

"Those were the instructions from the king," Maggie's voice was softer as she placed her hand on Alex's shoulder. Many questions floated in Alex’s mind but she was silent, waiting for Winn to continue.

"It's been a few years since, but many people were expecting me to continue his ways. At some point I realized that if I didn’t claim myself as his successor, my end would be the same as his. So I pretended I was preparing inventions similar to his own, while in the meantime tried to figure out how to get out of there. Then the king died, and a new plan has been implemented."

"The goal was the palace. All efforts to understand how Jeremiah won lead to one conclusion- he had something no other king had. Investigations upon investigations managed to find ancient evidence about a magic scroll that was hidden in Zorelia’s palace. From there, the goal was to riot at the borders, be caught and sent to the dungeon next to the palace. They knew it was the easiest way to get as close as they could to the palace without getting caught halfway there. When there were enough Daxamites to take over the palace, the signal would be given."

"But they found nothing." Alex leaned forward. "The room in which the scroll is hidden is visible only to the descendants of the wizard and the king. They couldn’t find it even if it was under their noses."

"Nor use it. They need a royal or a wizard."

“Right."

Maggie examined him carefully. "I don’t understand. How do you know all this? And why did you not tell your friends or the royal family? With this information you have the ability to easily cause Zorelia's downfall."

Winn bit his lip, sighing. "My father wasn’t an easy guy. He thought I was destined to greatness, taught me to be his heir, but I never wanted that. I never asked for it. He wasn’t the best father..." He rubbed his neck. "He was dangerous. I know he was my father, but the things he did never helped in any way."

There was a silence, and Alex looked at Winn, who stared at the table. "You wished for his death." She murmured. "You didn’t want any contact with him or Daxia. That's why you came to us."

He nodded quietly, and as he raised his head Alex noticed his wet eyes. “War is good for nothing. The only one who can end this matter once and for all is you."

"How do you know?"

"Because my father was no ordinary genius. He was a wizard. One of the only wizards left in this land. In Daxia magic was forbidden for hundreds of years, but his ancestors continued to practice magic, and so did he. He knew that if his powers were revealed, he might be harmed. Therefore he kept them secret. After his death I discovered everything." He leaned forward, looking at Alex seriously. "I am also a wizard. I came to help you find the scroll."

Alex looked at Maggie, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You are a wizard?"

"Yes."

"Prove it."

He looked at Maggie for another moment, then raised his handcuffed hands. With a slight pull, he detached the heavy iron handcuffs, loosening his hands and tying the cuffs back, his hands free. Alex's eyes widened. He gave an apologetic look, placing the handcuffs on the table gently.

"I don’t mean to scare you. Just to prove-"

"You are surprisingly strong," Maggie said. There was no suspicion in her voice anymore, only curiosity. He looked at her.

"So are you. You don't happen to be a wizard by any chance?"

Maggie widened her eyes as well, confused. "I... I don’t- uh-"

"She’s adopted. By her aunt." Alex put a defensive hand on Maggie's shoulder.

"It runs in the family." Winn shrugged. "Maybe you just don’t know it."

There was silence as Alex tried to figure out what her next step should be. Zorelia’s soldiers were preparing for an attack, for defense, for anything that might come. And perhaps, thanks to the magic, a sanguinary war between the two kingdoms could be prevented from happening yet another time.

_ You are the most important asset to the kingdom _ , Maggie's voice echoed once more in her head, like a loop. She was not just the queen. She was a descendant of generations upon generations of rulers. She must make sure that the cycle of blood-spilling was stopped. She was the only one who could do that. And so she would.

"They are preparing for an attack in the north." She said to Winn, her expression blank. He nodded.

"Indeed. I'm not sure what the plan is exactly since I warned you at the trial and they stopped talking to me. They beat me up sometimes so I won’t forget my place. The punishment in Daxia for treason-" He nodded to Maggie. "-is death by fire. Nothing in the dungeon can ignite a fire, so they just beat me. Luckily, the wizard powers protect me from the beatings, so I pretend it hurts until it's over."

Alex’s face was washed with compassion. "I will make sure you get your own cell. When it's all over, you'll be offered amnesty. Feel free to stay in our kingdom as long as you need."

"Oh, wow," Winn's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Princess."

She turned her head to Maggie, who was deep in thought. “Shall we go, then?"

"Where?"

“To find the room, of course."

-

A large stone door slammed shut behind them and they were left in the dark, with Winn standing in the front. The sound of a spark came from his direction as a small flame lit up on his finger, and he picked up an extinguished torch from one of the stands along the corridor, lighting it up. Behind Alex, Maggie flinched a little, putting her back to the cold stone wall. Alex watched curiously as the flame erupted from Winn's finger, moving with mesmerizing elegance, a small surge of fire swirling around his fingers.

"Wow," she murmured.

"When I said there was nothing in the dungeon that could ignite a fire, I didn’t include myself." He smiled bitterly as the flame passed from one finger to the other, getting stronger and weaker intermittently. "If I wanted to, I could burn them all with the flick of my hand."

There was silence as they looked at Winn's skilled hand. Alex was mesmerized by the shadows that appeared on the stone walls.

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Let's find the scroll first. Then I will teach you magic." He glanced back, to where Maggie stood upright and looked at him silently. The light of the torch caused shadows on her sealed face. Winn held out his bare arm forward.

"I wrote on myself everything I needed. According to ancient reports, the scroll should be hidden in a room with a white marble door, and a door knocker embedded in its center. Whoever is able to see the door, that is, me and Alex-"

"The Princess." Maggie's voice was low and sharp. Winn fell silent.

"Of course, the Princess." He coughed lightly, stepping forward. "Anyway, when we get there we'll knock on the door, and it's supposed to open on its own."

They followed him, the torchlight illuminating the dark corridor. At every crossroads, he looked at his arm like a map, and stepped forward resolutely. Alex tried to peek over his shoulder, but couldn’t see any caption on the white skin.

"How do you navigate?"

He raised his arm. "I wrote everything on my arm. It's invisible ink, another one of my father’s inventions. At least I can use this one for good."

"Where are the instructions from?"

"The ancient findings explain everything in the language of wizards. The Daxamites tried to translate everything but failed. My father found the dictionaries and so I managed to do everything by myself. I also assume that hatred for wizards made them stay away from anything they didn’t really know about them. They burned books and writings that belonged to them and so on." He raised his head from his arm, pointing to the left. "There."

"So they hate wizards and won’t go near anything related to them, but they do anything they can to achieve magic?"

"I think they realized it was the only way to win the war. Maybe they planned to catch you too so you could use the magic for them. They didn’t tell me all their plans. The only reason they let me join the riots in the north was because of my father." He glanced at the back, where Maggie was walking a little slower, to make sure they were protected.

"Your, uh... your guard..." His voice was quiet, fading in embarrassment.

"What about her?"

"She... you two have a different relationship. Princesses and guards aren’t supposed to behave like that, are they? She calls you by your name, and the way you-" he cleared his throat, lowering his voice even further. "You look at each other- I mean-"

"Hey, Schott," Maggie said loudly enough to echo in the narrow stone hallway. "I can hear you."

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry." He hurried his steps. "It's not my business, I know."

"Keep going. Where's that door?"

"According to the records we are quite close. Two more turns."

Alex heard Maggie approaching closer, feeling her protective hand resting on her back. She hoped that Winn wouldn’t tell anyone about the things he saw between her and Maggie before she could talk about it herself. She reached back, grabbing and pressing Maggie's fingers. Although she couldn’t see or enter the room, her presence was almost critical for Alex, especially when they were so close to solving everything.

"Okay. Right here." Winn turned right, lifting up the torch. Alex turned to look.

Just as he said, the door of white marble, slightly dusty, stood at the end of a short hallway. In the center was a shiny wooden door knocker. Alex looked at it, her heart pounding.

All these last months, from the time her father died until now, thoughts had been pecking at her incessantly. Knowing she somehow must stop the Daxamites. Put an end to this war. Find a solution, otherwise her whole kingdom would be lost. Find the way to go in her father's path, without his guidance. Figure out what kind of queen she would be. Use her powers for good.

And here, behind this door was the solution. The door people had looked for years, Daxamites and Zorelians, and now she was standing in front of it, just as her father had found it years earlier.

She looked at Winn, knowing he saw it just as she did. “All yours, Princess," he murmured with a smile.

Instead of stepping forward, she turned to Maggie. She found her standing with her eyes wide open, the lights of the torch and the marble door mixed and shining on her face. Alex put a hand on her shoulder, a little confused. What was happening?

"Alex..." Maggie's voice was weak. "I can see the door."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see end notes for content warning

Maggie could see the door.

How was that possible?

Alex's brain froze, confused. "Maggie, you- are you sure-"

"There are curved finishes at the edges." There was a tremor in Maggie's voice, and she made no effort of disguising it. "The wood knocker is triangulated, with golden ornaments. There is no handle." She looked at Alex, her jaw stiffening.

"Why do I see the door, Alex?"

Alex couldn’t answer. Frantic thoughts came up in her mind, that Maggie was a descendant of the royal family. That somehow, maybe, a royal from the past left the palace and Maggie was, in some way, their offspring. But she remembered Winn's words from before, and she sent him a questioning look.

_ You're not a wizard by any chance, are you? _

A smile began to spread across Winn's face as he looked at Maggie. “You’re a wizard," he said excitedly. "You really are a wizard!"

"Wait, hold on, I-" Maggie held out her shaking hand. "How can you be sure? Because- I never..."

"Wizards became extinct centuries ago." Winn nodded. "But the gene is still passed down from generation to generation. I'm like that, too, and I noticed you from the first moment. That's the reason for your strength."

"And your speed and hearing, and everything else," Alex added. Winn glanced between them.

"Have you ever tried to figure out where your powers came from?"

"Of course I tried!" Maggie looked irritated, nervous. She buried her head in her hands, and Alex's heart clenched at the sight. She hurried to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, it doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that you can see the door, and that means you can come in with us!"

"No." Maggie raised her head. "I'm not- I'm not ready. Not yet. I need a moment." She looked into Alex's eyes. "Go in with him. I'll wait out here for a moment."

"I'm not leaving you alone." She wasn’t sure what frightened her more, the fact that she was entering her father’s room for the first time without Maggie, or the fact that Maggie would stay outside, without her. Her hand went down from Maggie's shoulder to hold her hand. Walking away from Maggie like that, even for a moment, even a little, made her uncomfortable.

"Alex, I'll be fine. I'll be right out here." The edges of her mouth rose up only for a moment. "You have a kingdom to save."

Alex swallowed, nodding. She stepped forward to the door, brushing some dust over the wooden knocker. The marble glowed, and as she touched it, the glow intensified. Suddenly, the torch in Winn's hand seemed unnecessary.

"You have to tap three times." Said Winn behind her.

She grabbed the knocker with trembling hands, picked it up, and slammed the door lightly. Then once again. And again.

There was a click, and the door creaked forward, fully opening. Alex stepped in slowly, looking around.

The room was small, not bigger than her own bathroom, but was laden with shelves full of books, cabinets and wooden tables. A single chair stood in the corner, next to a desk. Open books covered every possible surface, and some cabinets were open, with supply for writing and measuring, and even a few bottles of mysterious liquid. At the edge of the room stood a sumptuous box, sealed with a lock.

Alex could bet on all the royal fortune that that was where the scroll was located.

"Wow, this place is a mess." Winn wrinkled his nose to the dust that accumulated on the open books, running his hand over them to collect the dust. Alex couldn't stop herself from smiling at the obvious mess. It seemed like the last person that was in the room was just out for a few moments and would be back soon, with all the books and pages scattered everywhere.

"He never liked tidiness or order. He said he had his own system of placing his things."

"Well, I'm sure by some kind of method, things are in order here." Winn started arranging the books in a pile, but she stopped him.

"I want to look around a little." This room was probably one of the only things she had left of her father, and she felt her throat close up as she looked at the pencils scattered on the table, the books open on various pages, leading to one theory or another that he was probably trying to figure out, the scribbled parchments lying aside, all filled with his scattered handwriting. A metal cup stood in the corner, and Alex looked inside, noticing the residue of an old drink. She took a deep breath, the smell of old books and wax filling her nose.

This was her father's study room. The real one. And here she would find the answers to her questions.

She approached the box, placing a hand on the lock. Without a key, the lock opened with a click to the touch of her hand, the box doors launched open by themselves. On bright red silk rested an old parchment scroll, wrapped in a blue cover. The silk shone from the box, and she felt the urge to reach out and take it. Winn's hand on her shoulder seemed to wake her from a dream.

"I know it's tempting. But I don’t think you should touch it until you understand the power of it."

Alex turned to him and he smiled at her sympathetically, patting gently on her shoulder.

"Do you mind if I look around here? I've seen some books that might interest me, and-"

"Yes, of course. But don’t move anything."

"Got it." He turned back, just as she noticed Maggie standing in the doorway, stepping in hesitantly. She looked around in awe and wonder, until she reached the end where Alex stood. She looked into the open box, her eyes wide open.

"The scroll." She murmured. "I never thought I would actually get to see it one day."

Alex put a hand on her back. "Are you okay?"

"I’m... not sure."

They stood in silence, and Alex leaned back on one of the tables. Maggie’s fingers twitched and Alex waited patiently.

"All my life... I mean, ever since I found out I was special, I wondered why. Everyone who knew about my powers asked about their source, but I never had answers. Jeremiah told me about magic before his death, which means he already knew about its existence when he met Lou. But he never told us that there was a chance there were more wizards, that we might be too. He never said a word. I thought you were the only chance for magic to return to the kingdom. To this land." She looked up at Alex, the realization dawning on her face. "He ordered us to get rid of the Toyman because he knew he was a wizard. He didn’t want him to stand in his way."

Alex reflected in the new revelation on her father's morality as Maggie kept looking around.

"It wasn't supposed to be hard work, you know. Lucy and I had to do it. But something happened. He resisted, and... we needed reinforcements. So everyone came quickly to help. We finished the job, but someone tipped them off. They found us in his house. All of us. We got caught." Her voice was quiet, as if coming out of her mouth without her even noticing. "They detained us, accused us of treason. For such an act on our side... the penalty was nothing less than death. They put us in the town square, lit a fire around us. I watched them burn. Sam and James, Susan... Lucy," She said their names, her voice breaking down, but she didn’t stop. "Everyone. The fire weakened me, but I managed to break free before it did any real damage. I released Nia, who was standing the closest to me, and we ran away. An arrow hit me-" She tapped her arm, "But we escaped. We got back here. Nia received the Badge of Honor and left to live on a farm in the south. I haven't heard from her since. I stayed here."

Maggie blinked, a single tear flowing down her cheeks. "My powers were incomprehensible for so long. I didn’t know what they were, but I tried to use them for good. I tried to help. The power I have... I improved it for years. All just to do good. But I never knew I was a wizard… if I knew, maybe I could have learned magic, learn how to… how to really use it for good. After the incident I neglected it, I thought the powers were worthless, all because I couldn’t save them. I had nightmares and… well, I went through some things. I volunteered to be your guard, knowing I’d help save the continuation of the dynasty. But the fear froze me again every time I..." she looked at Alex, wet trails streaming down her cheeks. "I could not save them, Alex. I was afraid of losing you as I lost them. Of failing to save you as I failed to save them."

Alex felt her eyes get wet and her fists clenched. She stepped forward, wrapping Maggie in a tight hug and feeling her shivering in her arms. Her heart was heavy, and her voice thick as she spoke.

"I'm so sorry, my love. So sorry."

They hugged each other for a few moments, Maggie’s shivering slowly weakening. Alex finally understood everything- Maggie's anger at Daxia and Winn, watching her friends- her family- die, her fear of fire. The crippling shock when she discovered she was a wizard, that her powers made sense. The guilt and fear, to lose the people she cared about. She tightened her hug for long seconds before pulling back, placing her thumbs on Maggie's hot, wet cheeks.

"Thank you for telling me."

Maggie nodded quietly, wiping her cheeks with her wrists.

"So... my father knew you were a descendant of wizards. And he told you nothing."

Maggie takes a deep breath. "Maybe he had reasons of his own. I trusted him with my life, and he never let me down."

Alex's fingers rested on the edge of the table, drumming nervously. She looked around, wondering what else she might find about her father, what he had hidden from her, and how much more she would have to deal with before she found answers.

She stepped forward, to the table in the center of the room. "Alright. Listen up."

Winn looked up from the book he was reading, and Maggie walked up from behind, both standing on either side of her.

"We need to explore this room. From top to bottom. Discover everything he may have known and understand what we're dealing with." She took a serious look from one to the other. "It's going to be a long night."

To her surprise, Maggie smiled. "Well," she said. “We better get to work.”

-

Eliza sat at her desk in her study room, the engravings of the pen on the papers in front of her and the crackling of wax from the slowly melting candles are the only noises around her at the late hour. She stopped and put down the pen, leaning back wearily. Aware of the time and the candles about to go out, she rubbed her eyes.

Since Alex left for the unknown insides of the palace along with the Daxamite, Eliza had been sick with worries. She knew she had to let Alex act independently, she would soon be the queen and she had to learn to make many decisions on her own, and anyhow, with her guard next to her, Eliza knew there was no actual reason to worry. Still, the Daxamite seemed rather weird in her eyes, and she wondered if she should have forbidden them to go at all. Many hours had passed since then. Alex and Miss Sawyer might-

A quiet, determined knock on the door made her straighten up. 

"Come-" her voice strangled. "Come in!" She called again. At such a late hour, this must be news about Alex.

The door creaked open, and Alex stepped inside, her eyes red and tired. Her hair was a little messy, and her regular shirt and pants were wrinkled. Eliza hurried to her, her eyebrows knitting at the sight of her daughter.

"Oh, Alexandra," she murmured, wrapping her arms around her warmly. "Are you okay? Where's Miss Sawyer? Where's the Daxamite? I was so worried-"

“I'm fine, Mother." Alex smiled wearily, patting her mother on the back. “Everything's fine."

"Where have you been?"

Alex looked around at the candles that were about to go out. "You better sit down." She placed her hand on the chairs in the corner of the room. Eliza sat down, confused, as Alex fetched new candles. The lighting in the room intensified and Alex sat down next to Eliza. Her face was pale, and she rubbed her eyes, trying to regain clarity.

"Alex, you look terrible. When last did you eat or sleep? Are-"

"I'm fine, Mother," Alex repeated. “I need to talk to you. It's more important than food or sleep."

Eliza fell silent.

"Mother," Alex said slowly. “What do you know about magic?"

"Magic?" Eliza didn’t expect such a question. Magic was imaginary, the type of element told in children's tales, in fictional stories. "What are you talking about, Alexandra? You need to sleep-"

"I need you to listen to me. Daxamite armies are preparing for war in the north. We must be prepared for them. Please answer me." Alex's eyes, despite the fatigue, seemed sharp and focused under the yellow candlelight. Eliza fell silent again. What _did_ she know about magic?

"I know nothing about magic."

Alex sighed. "He really didn’t tell anyone."

Fear suddenly gripped Eliza's heart. "He...?"

"My father. Jeremiah. The King. He was a wizard. That’s how he stopped the war. With his death, the magic ceased and the Daxamites strengthened. They are waiting to attack as we speak." Alex's back was hunched over and she ran a hand over the back of her neck.

"How did you find out?"

"There's a room inside of the palace, where all the answers are. Mr. Schott, the Daxamite, is a wizard as well. And also..." She raised her head for a moment, hesitantly. "Miss Sawyer, too. Maggie."

Eliza widened her eyes and Alex continued. "The room is full of Father's things, books about magic and all that. He explored and perfected magic into some kind of art. The things he did..." She shook her head, smiling slightly. "It will take months to go over everything he wrote, what he found. But we were able to find some useful things. Winn and Maggie are still there, working."

"So the... this _magic_ ," Eliza swallowed. "Is that what will help us win the war?"

"We assume so. It will take us a little more time to figure out how to do it. But-"

"Who is us?"

Alex was confused. "Mr. Schott and Miss Sawyer."

"They are not responsible for the royalty. You are."

"I trust them with my life. Yes, the Daxamite too," she added as Eliza opened her mouth again. "He wants to end the war. The information he gave helped us understand Father's plan, the magic, everything. Without him, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to find the solution."

Eliza shifted her gaze from her daughter to the long window, trying to digest the information slowly. She got up and stood with her back to Alex. The darkness outside was dotted with shining stars, and a thin stripe of light shone on the far horizon. She heard Alex standing behind her too.

"Alexandra..." she murmured without turning around. "I- I don’t know what to say. For months we’ve lived in- in such a terrible horror, the economy is in a slump, the residents are frightened… I-" she breathed deeply. "I'm desperate."

She turned around, Alex standing behind her, upright, her eyes hopeful.

"You will be crowned soon," Eliza kept going. "And all I can think about since your father died, is the ruined, horrified kingdom I leave you to rule over. The responsibility on your shoulders. The chance that- that your father was the only person who could save us. I'm so scared, Alex."

Alex stepped forward, wrapping her mother in a hug. Her mother, who had been tough on her from the moment she began to prepare her for royalty, who insisted on the smallest things in her behavior in an attempt to teach her to be the best queen she could, who never gave up even the slightest thing she wanted to teach Alex. Her mother, who she wanted to hold a grudge against for the hard work she put her through, now realizes that everything was in her favor, to prepare her for the role of her life. She sniffed a little, pulling back to look at Eliza's tired face.

"We will solve it. I promise you. I won’t let these kingdoms sink into another doom. Not as long as I have something to do on the matter."

Eliza put a hand on Alex's cheek, a proud smile spreading across her lips. She sighed, her heart relieved for the first time in a while. The feeling of loneliness and despair slowly let go of her and she nodded as she looked at Alex, knowing she could trust her. And yet, the new revelations raised many questions in her.

"I-"

"I'm sorry, Mother. There are many more things I need to tell you, and I will do so. But now is not the time. I must go back."

Eliza nodded. "Of course. But before you go, I need you to promise me something. Well, maybe a few things."

Alex raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Before you do anything, tell me your plan. I still don’t understand... magic," she said the word in a certain foreignness, as if not sure the magic was real yet. "But I want to understand more. If your father used it, and if you use it, I want to know what's going to happen. Please." She put a hand on Alex's arm.

"Of course, Mother. I won’t act without talking to you."

"And another thing."

"Yes?"

"Go to sleep. You need it." A small smile appeared on Eliza's lips. "This is an order from your Queen."

-

Following her mother’s order, supported by the fact that she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer, Alex told Maggie and Winn to take a break so they could rest. The room was even more cluttered than it had been when they entered it, books scattered everywhere and notes on lists in Winn’s meticulous handwriting, who kept murmuring to himself quietly as he examined one book or another.

"I'm closer than I thought, Princess." He informed her with a tired face. "Just a few more hours of work."

"Thank you, Mr. Schott," she patted him on the shoulder. "You are welcome to rest in the Royal Guest Room, it is set and ready for you. When all of this is over, I will make sure you get full amnesty. You are an asset to this kingdom."

Maybe her tired eyes had misled her, or the candlelight was too faint to see for sure, but she thought he may have been blushing.

"Come on, Princess," Maggie took Alex's hand gently. "Let's take you to bed."

Alex let Maggie lead her to her room, tired and foggy, with her hand held tightly. She got into bed and fell asleep within seconds, feeling Maggie's body lying beside her.

__

_ A beaming, dazzling light was shining all around her, and she took a deep breath, feeling free. She reached with her arms forward, finding she was wearing a simple white frock, and her bare feet were standing on the light floor. She walked forward, trying to see into the glowing distance. _

_ "Alex." _

_ She turned. Dressed in the glorious ruler’s attire, her father stood. He smiled as he said her name, his gaze soft and a pleasant sparkle in his eyes. She felt a lump in her throat, tears in her eyes. He looked so real. She could reach out and touch him. Instead, she just looked into his eyes. The white light around them grew stronger, and she looked down, noticing suddenly that she was wearing the ruler’s clothes herself. She raised her head, her father wearing the simple white frock she had worn before. His smile remained deep and pure as he looked back at her. _

_ She had so many questions, but she couldn’t speak. She felt her head heavy under the weight of the crown. _

_ "Alexandra," his voice was low, muffled. "I'm so sorry for everything. I made mistakes, I was wrong and scared." _

_ Alex felt tears in her eyes. "Father..." _

_ "You can make it right. You can fix it. I know you can." _

_ "I don't know how," she tried to walk towards him, but he was _ _ moving away from her, his voice slowly fading.  _

_ " _ _ You know what to do." _

_ The white light enveloped everything, before she could ask him not to leave her again. _

She woke up and turned in bed. Maggie wasn’t there. She rubbed her eyes, reaching a tired hand for the pillow where Maggie rested. She took a deep breath, the soil and citrus smell causing her to close her eyes in delight. She wondered where she had gone and when she would return when the sound of the stone door opening answered her question, and she rose quickly.

"You're awake," Maggie smiled at her. "I left you a note."

Alex blinked at the table next to her bed while Maggie sat down next to her. A small piece of parchment was signed in Maggie's curled handwriting.

_ I went out. I'll get back to you before you notice. _

_ All my love _

_ M _

She looked up at Maggie, who was still sitting smiling. "I said I would come back before you’d notice."

"I think I woke up because you weren’t by my side." Alex buried her face in Maggie’s neck. "Where have you been?"

"I went back to the room. Winn- Mr. Schott, he’s already there. He claims to have found some things that might help us very soon. He gave me some tips about my magic, too. I came back here for, well," she reached for Alex's chin, lifting up her face. "I didn’t want you to wake up alone."

Alex felt dizzy, drowning in Maggie's warm eyes. She bit her lip, stopping herself from dropping Maggie onto the bed and spending the next few hours kissing every piece of her body. They had more important things to do right now.

"I dreamed of him," she found herself saying. Maggie's eyebrows rose in surprise. Somehow, Alex's voice made it clear to her who she meant.

"Of your father? Well, what happened?"

"He said he's sorry for everything he did. I guess he meant... you." she swallowed. "He said he was scared. That he was wrong."

Maggie was silent. "Did he said anything else?"

Alex's hand reached out for Maggie's, squeezing tight. "You know he loved you, right? even if-"

"Even if he was afraid that another wizard in the land would threaten his royalty? yes," Maggie's voice was bitter, and she looked down, not squeezing Alex's hand back. "It really was a coward thing to do. Get rid of all the wizards but him. I trusted him, but he... he never really trusted me."

"He made mistakes. It was selfish of him, and you can never forgive him, if this is what you feel like. As a king, he thought it was the right thing to do to save his kingdom."

They were silent for a few moments as Maggie pondered Alex's words.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Not repeat his mistakes, for a start."

Maggie's lips curled up for a second. "And besides that? Any epiphanies on how to save the kingdoms?"

"Well, he hasn't said anything really, but... he made me understand. I think I know what we need to do." she took a breath, straightening up. "I will need you by my side."

"Whatever you need, my darling. I'm here." 

Alex nodded. It was her time to act.

-

The small conference room held a limited number of people. Eliza and J’onn sat at the head of the table, Alex sat on the other side, and next to her sat Maggie, with Mr. Schott standing slightly behind Maggie, drumming his foot nervously. Alex gave him a scolding look and he stopped, embarrassed.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I've never been so stressed-"

"Get a hold of yourself, Schott," Maggie murmured back at him. He cleared his throat as Eliza and J’onn sat down.

"Alexandra," said J’onn. "I understand you have an action plan."

"That’s right," Alex sat upright, dressed in an honorable dress, as befit a queen. If she wanted to convince her mother of her plan, she had to show up at her best. Hours earlier, as she sat in her father's room and explained the plan to Winn and Maggie, she was still unsure of all the details. Winn's quick research helped her orientate herself to the things they would need, and with Maggie's support, along with significant reinforcements from both, they built a good case.

She had no doubt that her father would be proud if he could see her now.

"Mr. Schott," she said, and Winn stepped forward, his head still bowed.

"Mother, Sir J’onn, this is Winslow Schott. He is a Daxamite, but what he's done up to now proved that he’s loyal to us. Mr. Schott is a wizard, as my father was." She paused, waiting for understanding to land on both of them. Her mother frowned just a moment, accepting the facts with no other choice, and J’onn looked confused.

"A wizard? Alexandra, what-" His brows knitted. "Is that related to the scroll you asked me about?"

"Yes. But you will soon understand. First, Mr. Schott," she gestured to Winn. He took a deep breath, waving his hand upwards.

The table rose slowly, going upwards while Winn clenched his hand, concentrating. Eliza and J’onn stared at the flying table in shock, watching it land back on the floor with a soft thump.

"Now that we have proved that magic exists, we can discuss its usefulness to our kingdom." Said Alex in an official tone, folding her fingers across the table. J’onn covered his eyes with his hand, sighing.

"Of course," he murmured. “Of course. He always had these... little tricks he would do. Not even on purpose. He would always hear what others were saying, even if they whispered it from the other side of the room. He would beat me in training every single time we practiced. I thought he was just unique. " He leaned forward, looking at Winn. "And you. You're just like him. You‘re... a wizard." The word still sounded strange when he said it, and he patted his fingers on the table.

"Indeed I am, sir. My father was too."

"A Daxamite?" Eliza raised an eyebrow. "And why didn’t he help his Daxamite brothers?"

"Magic used to be a crime in Daxia, Your Majesty." Winn cleared his throat. "Then magic was forgotten, but when they found evidence of it in recent years, the Daxamites kept it a secret, afraid of the forces they didn’t understand. Their goal had always been to conquer Zorelia, and when they found out that the king had used magic to win the war, they tried to find a way to make the magic work in their favor. That’s why they invaded the palace all those months ago. They were searching for the scroll," He gestured to J’onn.

"The scroll," J’onn muttered, looking at Alex. "That I suppose contains the magic."

"True," Alex continued. "The scroll is what gives the ruler their powers. In case of danger to the kingdom, they could use magic to save it. The scroll was hidden inside the palace for years, until my father found it. He used it, and won the war."

Eliza and J’onn still wore astonished expressions and Alex paused, letting the information seep in slowly. Finally, J’onn leaned forward, the palm of his hands pressing against the table.

"So there is a magic scroll that allows the ruler to use magic to save the kingdom in case of danger."

"Right."

"And you want to use it."

Alex's heart jumped for a moment, and she nodded. “Yes."

Eliza and J’onn exchanged glances. More than once Alex wondered what in their looks made her think they were able to communicate without words. Maggie's hand looked for hers under the table, and she squeezed it tightly. They were so close, just a little longer.

"What are you planning to do? What kind of magic?" Eliza finally asked.

Alex took a deep breath. "Well, besides Mr. Schott and myself, we found that Miss Sawyer is also a wizard. Or at least, a descendant of wizards. She has powers, and she can, with the right guidance, perfect her magic powers and help us." Alex's hand was still holding Maggie's under the table, and she squeezed it again. Maggie nodded in silence, confirming her words. Alex continued.

"Mr. Schott is a very skilled wizard. He learned a lot about magic before he came here. His father was one as well. He can guide me and Miss Sawyer. With joint efforts, we can-"

"But what is the purpose? You’ll be the queen, the one who uses magic to save the kingdom." Eliza looked confused again. "I mean, it's okay for them to be wizards, but they're not rulers."

"That's the problem, Mother. The magic a ruler casts is only good for the rest of their life. Father casted a good spell that helped us for years, but when he died the magic stopped. I don't want that to happen." She felt her throat closing but continued. "I don’t want to live my life peacefully and leave the descendants behind me the fear that at any moment the magic will expire and they will have to save the kingdom again. I want to end this war. Once and for all."

Eliza almost snickered. "It’s all good and well, sweetheart, but you can’t end a war when the other side has been sowing destruction for years and years. They are waiting in the north, threatening to attack us at every day. You are not-"

"No, Mother." Alex's voice shuddered a little but she got up, her palms firm on the table. "We must stop this war. As the future Queen of Zorelia, I demand that we end this war. We have the power to do it, and so we will."

"But if your father failed to finish it, how will you do it?" J’onn crossed his arms.

"I’ve got help." She looked back at Maggie, who smiled encouragingly at her, and at Winn, who nodded. "I’ll use two more powerful magic forces that will stand by my side. Winn did the research and found all the details we will need. We are about to end this war. Magic is only as strong as the force that imposes it. More power, stronger magic. With Maggie and Winn's help, we can cast a spell strong enough. To end the war forever."

Eliza looked at the three of them, her jaw stiffening. "Alexandra," she murmured. "You... you’re not sure of what you're doing. You don’t understand it, you have to learn, you have to-"

"No, Mom. I've learned enough. I'm ready." She stepped forward, leaning beside her sitting mother. "I'm ready to be a queen. For so long I've been scared and apprehensive, but... I'm ready, Mom. Please, let me lead these people, this kingdom. Let me save it."

Eliza put a hand on Alex's cheek, her eyes wet. It suddenly occurred to Alex that her mother was just as scared as she was of the possibility that everything would fail, that everything would end badly. That maybe, after all, Alex was still not ready. She turned at J’onn, who leaned forward, the ends of his mouth rising slightly.

"She's ready, Eliza. Let her do it. They can do it."

Eliza's thumb stroked Alex's cheek, collecting a lone tear. She nodded, bending to kiss Alex's forehead.

"I love you, my brave girl."

Alex got up, turning to Maggie and Winn, who looked at them expectantly. Maggie's eyes were flooded with admiration as she looked at Alex straightening up.

"Let's go."

-

The books were put back on the shelves. Parchments and pens were placed in their place and even the tables were cleared off the dust. The room still smelled of wax and old books, and on the far side of the table sat Winn with a single book, making final notes on a pile of scribbled parchments.

Alex sat on a chair next to the box, looking at the scroll from the outside. Winn told her that she would have to take the scroll out, and made it clear to her that she had to prepare before she'd do it. She took a deep breath, her mind working feverishly to calm down. Maggie's hand was placed on her shoulder from behind and she felt her body relax backward in an instant. Maggie sat down on a chair next to her, both of them looking at the wooden box.

"I feel like it's watching me more than I'm watching it," Alex tried to joke, and Maggie shook her head with a smile.

"How do you feel?"

Alex was silent, looking at her trembling fingers. "I'm alright," she murmured. "Stressed."

"We’ll make it."

She nodded, swallowing. She preferred not to think about the possibility of their actions having a bad outcome. It would stress her even more. Maggie ran a hand back and forth over her arm, calming her slowly.

"Whatever happens-"

"No, Maggie." Alex gripped her hand. "Don’t."

Maggie was silent. She released her hand from Alex's grip slowly. "Okay," she whispered.

They continued to sit in silence, only the distant mumble of Winn heard in the background. Alex cleared her mind of thoughts, Maggie's fingers still tracing gently inside her palm.

"Princess?" She heard Winn behind her. "Whenever you're ready."

She raised her head to Maggie, meeting a bright smile. Despite everything, she looked quite optimistic. Her lips didn’t say the words, but Alex could hear them.  _ There is no one but you who can do it better. I have never been more proud. I love you. _

She nodded once, resolutely, and got up.

"Let's save this land."

They both nodded to her and she turned to the box, carefully inserting a hand and closing her fingers around the scroll. Although the room was chilly, the scroll was warm to the touch and slightly dusty. Alex took it to the table and opened it, following Winn's instructions.

"Very good. Now," he put one of the books in front of him. "According to these books here, the scroll doesn’t really have instructions or anything like that in it, but rather a force activator. One can say that it somehow ignites the force and unifies it for controlled use. The real magic will begin as soon as we concentrate and unite our powers. When we feel the forces united enough, Princess," he pointed to Alex. "It will be your sign to cast the spell. Together with our power, you can cast a stronger spell than usual."

"How would I know what to do?"

"You'll find it easier than you think. Once you have the power to do so, doing magic is nothing more than river cruising and swimming with the current. If you feel you’re lost, signal at me, and I will help you."

She licked her dry lips, looking at the scroll set on the table, silent.

"What magic are you planning to do, Alex?" Maggie asked quietly. Winn raised a curious eyebrow. Alex bit the inside of her cheek as she raised her head to look at them both. This was the only detail in her plan she hadn’t yet revealed to anyone.

"I want to change reality."

Winn raised his other eyebrow as his look turned surprised. "Oh, wow, that's... I'm not sure-"

"My dad came to me in a dream. He... he didn’t say that but he made me understand. This is the only solution. And if he told me to do it, I guess it can be done." Her eyes met Maggie's. "If I have the power to change reality with your help, to make war become peace, to give hope to the world, to this land, then it is my duty. And I must do so."

Winn closed his mouth, nodding. "I'm not sure such powerful magic has ever been done in the past. We will need our best forces for it."

Alex looked at Maggie, waiting for confirmation. Maggie just smiled at her, taking a deep breath. "You know I'm with you. For better or worse, I'll always be by your side."

They shared one last look before Alex cleared her throat and put her hand on the scroll. Maggie put her hand on hers, and Winn put his hand on top.

"Alright, Alex," he said, his voice quiet. "You’re up."

She closed her eyes, and the white light enveloped everything again. 

  
  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
  
  


________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Knock. Knock. Knock. _

Alex sighed. She had another full hour until the ceremony, and she didn’t intend to spend it on-

"Alex," came a voice from outside, and two more knocks. "I know you're in there-"

"Yes, come in," she called in a tired voice, marking the page in the book she was busy reading. The door opened, and Maggie stepped inside, a wide smile on her face. The striped shirt she wore belonged to Alex originally, and the brown pants were covered in patches of grass, a souvenir from the morning she spent in the palace garden.

"I knew you would be here. Kara said you went outside, but I know you haven’t taken your eyes off this book in a week," she looked pleased as she walked toward Alex's desk, full of scribbled parchments and open books. Something passed quickly in Maggie's eyes, as if imagining Jeremiah's table for a split second. She blinked quickly, raising her head to Alex, who leaned back.

"And you're right. There's another full hour until the ceremony, and I really want to finish-"

"You have to get ready beforehand. You know it takes you at least a full twenty minutes to get into that outfit-"

"But this book-"

"Your Mother will-"

"Alright, fine!" Alex surrendered, raising her hands up with a smile. Sometimes it seemed like Maggie was almost as stubborn as she was.

"You can stay here a little longer, of course," Maggie leaned back on the table, facing Alex, her arms folded and a teasing smile on her lips. "But I thought I would find you beforehand and just... check if you need any help."

"Help?" Alex rose slowly, facing Maggie.

"You know, if there's any... pressure... that needs release… before the coronation..." Maggie's voice dropped, and she bit her lip while her hand picked up Alex's. "I guess I can help with that."

"Yes, please," Alex murmured with a smile before her lips met Maggie's, her voice making it clear without a shadow of a doubt she wasn't even a little stressed at the moment. Her hand went forward, behind Maggie’s shoulder, gesturing to magically lock the door and close the windows, and Maggie laughed, pulling back slightly.

"I love it when you do that," she whispered, shaking her head, and Alex pulled her in again, a laugh vibrating on her own lips.

-

The hall was crowded from end to end. Alex stood to the side, dressed in her traditional attire and greeting the incomers. Most of them had already arrived so she remained standing there, talking to one diplomat or another, nodding and exchanging greetings. Maggie stood by her side the whole time, and Eliza on the other side. She wasn’t really stressed, but she would describe what she felt like an overly inflated chest, and the need for an air release. Every time Maggie squeezed her arm or laughed out loud, she felt a little bit of air coming out.

It had been quite some time since they saved the kingdoms. Alex cast a powerful spell, causing the conflict, or rather, the need for it, to disappear. It created two kingdoms with a strong and stable alliance, without the unceasing desire to fight and conquer, without the fear of strangers, and instead with a bond of deep understanding, of peace, of fellowship. She even instructed Winn (with his approval first) to be the new king of Daxia. Many of Daxia's dignitaries came to her coronation, and her face lit up happily when she noticed Winn enter the hall with his entourage. He walked over to her, and they shook hands enthusiastically.

"Wonderful, Alex," his smile shone at her. "Just... wonderful."

He didn't have to say more. She knew. He also shook hands with Maggie, who pulled him into a hug, and he gulped, almost stumbling over his cloak.

The images of evil deeds that lasted for many years still remained in the collective memory. Alex decided not to forget the events of the past, knowing that they needed the understanding that a better future for the two kingdoms was in store for them while maintaining the new order. Peace and kinship reigned in the land, and the magic did its work.

Maggie, who no longer needed her job as a guard, became Alex's Lady overnight, without anyone in the kingdom doubting it. When she told her family, Kara, who was relieved to see them both finally together, jumped up and down happily, squealing in joy, and J’onn hugged them both warmly, a twinkle in his eye making Alex wonder if he knew all along. Maggie was endowed with glorious manners and demeanor, and spectacular abilities in all that was needed from a royal member (and Alex kept smiling in silence, willing to bet that the magic genes had done their part in making Maggie worthy of a queen). Eliza, who was initially reserved about her, was pleased with Maggie's manners, and liked her more and more every day.

"Alex," Kara's hand rested on her shoulder suddenly. "It's time."

Alex nodded, the air in her chest surprisingly clearing out. She turned around, accompanied by Maggie and Eliza, and they walked to the edge of the stage, where the robe, the crown, and the wand were ready. An announcer came on stage and began to speak, announcing those present as Alex fisted her palms, taking a deep breath before it started. She felt a hand placed on her cheek and she opened her eyes.

"Hey," Maggie’s smile was tender. That was enough for Alex and she nodded, swallowing.

"I guess this is the last time I can call you Princess," Maggie's smile widened and Alex let out a soft laugh.

"Good luck up there, Princess."

Alex nodded again, the air in her chest returning to sufficient quantity. A trumpet began to roar, and she knew it was her sign. Maggie kissed her cheek before patting her on the back on the way to the stage. She walked slowly, careful not to stumble. Eliza was waiting for her there, her smile radiant with pride.

Alex stood beside her, kneeling, bowing her head. "My Queen," she said in a quiet voice. Eliza cleared her throat.

"Alexandra Eileen Janet," her voice echoed, carried across the great hall. "Do you vow not to take advantage of your position to lie and cheat about the affairs of the royalty, the army, and the subjects as long as you are in your position as the Queen?"

"I do."

"And do you vow to lead all the residents of this kingdom wisely, honestly and justly, to give your mind to the needy and to act kindly in your leadership, as long as you are in your position as the Queen?"

"I do."

"And do you vow to be faithful to the kingdom, to your subjects, and to the royal family, and will you agree to sacrifice your life for them, if required of you?"

Alex didn’t hesitate for a single moment. "I do."

Eliza smiled calmly, breathing deeply before the next part.

"If so, by virtue of my role as Queen of this Kingdom, I declare you a Queen, a ruler, and supreme leader over our Kingdom Zorelia, and I sincerely hope that you will lead us on the right path to the light."

Alex closed her eyes as the crown was placed on her head, and applause filled the hall.

The crown rested on her head with miraculous stability, and she took a deep breath, standing before her people. As the trumpets roared in her ears again, she decided to dedicate her very first thought as the Queen to her father.

_ We made it. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 8 cw: slight mention of burning
> 
> thank you so much for reading! please let me know what you think in the comments
> 
> @bilerleighs on twitter


End file.
